Across Two Worlds
by cbear142
Summary: In a world where hope seems lost, a hero is said to arise with the power to save all worlds, including a certain land where a similar prophecy about a green clad figure has come to pass. Are these heroes one and the same, and will the savior have the power to save two worlds? I do not own Ninjago, only my OC. My first story :P
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: Dark Times

She was born into a world of evil; a world where there seemed to be no hope.

After mankind had wasted away, battling endless wars and facing disaster after disaster, they came.

At first they seemed helpful, aiding every side with their technology and strategies. Then they revealed their purpose: to conquer in a time of weaknesses. Easily, they took control, and for centuries, they remained as supreme rulers, with humanity as their slaves.

Then came a prophecy: the alien overlords would fall to the one who saw hope in the darkness, one who would represent light and contain the power to save this world and others.

The aliens scoured the planet, searching for the one who would be their downfall, but they failed to look under one roof, where a young girl was born with the ability to see beyond the bleak future to find the light.

Little did anyone know that the prophecies of two worlds would intertwine with one another, as the savior in green would finally bring peace.

**Hope you enjoy my first story. I've always had this idea, but have only recently found fanfiction. I do not own Ninjago. Now read onward!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Ninjago**

Ch 1

As the bag was removed from her head, Alex could finally grasp her surroundings after spending a week in that stinking hole of a prison. The courtyard was grim, the dark clouds matching the mood set by the dark clad officers who had brought her here, who were now proceeding to herd the crowd forming. The faces of the people were worn out and hollow, radiating the feelings of hopelessness and fear, as they watched Alex on the platform with blank yet sad faces.

As the head guard read off her list of crimes, Alex looked back on the events of the past. It seemed hard to believe that only a couple of weeks ago she had been as thick as a thief, literally, stealing from the oppressing society of the alien overlords, who dared to call themselves neosapiens, as if they were the pure ones. It made it easier for Alex and the few that would join her to steal and fight back, while aiding her fellow race in their time of need.

Had it not have come to the moment of sacrifice, Alex would probably have been free right now, possibly making rounds to deliver food to the humans in the nearby camps, but it seemed fate had decided to be cruel.

The guard finished reading the list of crimes, and announced the final verdict

"Death"

The guards at her side shoved Alex to the ground, while the head guard prepared the firing squad. _I'm not going anywhere when I'm shackled, assholes,_ Alex bit her tongue to stop the words, for if she spoke now she would get no final words.

It was only until she was faced away from the officers who were aiming at her head that the head guard asked, "Do you have any last words?"

Alex thought long and hard at the words that formed, "Death means nothing when the people you leave will only fight harder for their loss. And my death changes nothing, you will all fall. Even if it takes a thousand life times, you will suffer for what you have brought on the TRUE human race!"

A true hero's speech, despite the fact that the crowd could only respond in unspoken words, for fear of a full out massacre. It didn't matter to Alex; she would be a martyr to these people, and they would rise up to conquer the neosapiens and their leader, who Alex could all but forget.

When she heard the final call, Alex expected the sting of bullets, and pitch blackness, or at least some moments of pure agony.

Well... there was darkness

Alex opened her eyes to a black and purple vortex of terror, its pull strong enough to make her feel as though she would melt into a puddle. The chains pulled, the ground breaking around them. The firing squad, with nothing to grab onto, was immediately sucked in. Shocked, Alex could only look on as the chains broke, and she was sucked in to a whirlpool of darkness.

The last thing she remembered was the sensation of drowning.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 2

A never ending darkness surrounded Alex, making her truly believe this was death. Nothing but an infinite black void.

But... how did that explain the portal? She saw the guards being sucked into the anomaly; saw the ground tearing and her shackles breaking free from their post. And the feeling of drowning... what had happened? Was that death? Reincarnation?

It seemed an eternity before Alex could open her eyes, as the heavy weights of her eyelids relinquished and she gave way to the light. She found herself staring at a wooden ceiling, lying in a soft plush mattress. _What the... where... am I dead?_ Shakily, Alex began to sit up on the bed and look at her surroundings. She was in a small, but tidy room, and though it merely contained a dresser, a vanity set, a couple of chairs, and the bed she was sitting on, it made Alex feel at home.

As she hesitantly stood up, Alex wondered if this was even her body; perhaps... she_ had _been reborn. She went to the vanity mirror and gazed at the face that looked... exactly the same. "Either I was reborn as my clone, or I haven't been reborn," Alex thought aloud. Perhaps this was all a dream, or...

She ran to the single window to find herself staring at a mass of blue. She was on a ship, heading God knows where, and her captors...

What kind of sick torture would she be subjected to if they were delivering her to the capital; to...

Alex's scar hurt at the idea of being face to face with that creep of a leader. And if he wanted revenge on her for last time **and **for her stunt at the trial with the heroics...Alex shuddered at the very thought of what would be in store.

"I got to leave. **Now**."

Alex rushed to the door, trying to formulate what she should do to subdue the guard, when she heard the sound of approaching voices. She stopped dead in her tracks, and rushed back to the bed, lying down in her same position just as the doors opened.

"I don't get why I have to take your shift, it's not like you have anything important to do."

"Yea, but I promised Lloyd I'd show him a thing or two in a match of Fist to Face 2, plus Nya and I..."

"Forget it. I don't want you pulling my ear off with excuses, just stay away from my sister, motor mouth."

"Thanks, Kai! Owe you one!"

"Yea, which is why you'll be the first one to try Cole's chili tonight."

Before the guard with the obnoxious voice could retort, the one with the sarcastic tone slammed the door shut, sighing out loud to himself as he pulled up a chair and sat.

Alex tried to act asleep, but her mind was filled with question, one being, _Since when do neosapien guards act so stupid and childish, especially over guarding a prisoner?_ Well perhaps she'd figure it out or perhaps not, but currently, all Alex was concerned with was escaping.

She began to formulate a plan, but it was hard when the sarcastically spoken guard kept making laser noises and commenting about his looks. _Narcissistic much?_ Alex thought as she brought into mind the fact that there was a chair right next to her.

After about an hour of planning, Alex was ready. She cracked open one eye to find the guard, who had his back to her and was hunched over...a portable video game? _Who hired these guys?_ Alex wondered as she began to slowly stand, reaching her hands towards the chair by the bedside. She began carefully making her way to the hunched guard, who was still oblivious to her presence.

He had little time to react as Alex slammed the chair down on his back, knocking him to the ground with a thud. With the guard disoriented at the moment, Alex quickly thrusted the door open and sped down the hallway. She used her senses to find a trace of salty air, and quickly headed in its direction.

She was almost home free until she heard a cluster of voices from a nearby room. She skidded to a halt, squeaking on the wooden floorboards. Alex inwardly cringed as she heard the noises stop and footsteps coming closer to the hallway.

The figure walked out, clad in a blue pajama like outfit, and looked towards the exit, before turning towards Alex. However, he did not have the ability to react quickly enough as Alex punched him hard in the gut. With a squeak, he fell to the ground, and before any of the others in the adjacent room came out to inspect, Alex dashed for the exit, running out into the bright sunny day.

She glanced at her surroundings, searching for any means of escape, but there were no lifeboats; only this ship and the open sea. Alex felt trapped, her plan crumbling as she looked around, and tried to think of another way of egress. But her train of thought was cut short as she heard a commotion coming from downstairs, and Alex now had to search for a hiding place before continuing her new plan. After scanning the ship, she decided to run to the end of the ship, where two flame shaped designs jutted outwards away from the deck. Alex hurriedly climbed up to the highest point on deck, and leaped to the structures, climbing to a certain point where she believed she'd be safe.

As she heard voices clamoring on deck, Alex tried to formulate a new plan of escape. She could try swimming to shore, but she couldn't determine how far it would take to reach land, and who knew what lay in the depths below. Hiding would not be an option unless the guards believed she was dead, and Alex wasn't sure she'd be so lucky to avoid capture a second time. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Alex tried to think of any other possible option.

"There!"

Alex lost her train of thought as she looked back to the ship to find that the guard she had punched in the gut had located her whereabouts. Before she knew it, three more had joined him, and were now looking in her direction.

As one of them began to step forward she yelled out a warning, "Stay back! I'm warning you! I will jump!"

The guard, dressed in black, stopped moving, and replied, "Come down from there. We can talk this over."

"After she apologizes for knocking me with a chair!" the sarcastic guard, dressed in red, growled out.

Ignoring the one in red, Alex yelled back, "I am not going to let myself get tortured again. Do you think I'm stupid or something? Because I'm human? Well tough luck, I'm one smart chick that you underestimated, so good luck trying to earn your boss's favor, assholes!"

"Will you just come down already?" the one in black said, "We're not going to give you to any boss and we're not going to torture you."

"Yea, like I've never heard that one before! Well too bad, whatever you want me for is going to have to be delayed, so good luck scouring the ocean for me, dumbass!" Alex doubted she'd escape, but the least she could do was taunt. Now that she noticed, she was beginning to slip.

The bickering went back and forth, with the black garbed guard repeating his message, and with Alex retorting with insults, until a new voice spoke up.

"Please stop this. We promise no harm will come to you."

This came from the silent guard in white, who began to walk over to where Alex was hanging.

"Stay away from me! I will jump!"

"Do you trust me?"

The words caught Alex by surprise, "Should I?"

"Yes, because I swear on my honor that no harm will come to you on this ship."

The one in red was about to retort, but the one in black elbowed him.

The white one repeated, "Please, will you come back here?"

Alex was stunned at his soft tone and calm attitude. He wasn't like the other three, he seemed more understanding and... maybe even...trustworthy?

Alex found herself shuffling back towards the deck, and the white clad guard moved forward to help her.

She was almost there when she felt her foot slipping, and would have fallen had she not grabbed the siding with one hand, and the white one's hand with the other. Before she knew it, her helper was guiding her back towards the others, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Facing the group of four, Alex felt like saying something witty, or even thanking the guards, but no words formed in her mind.

That's when the leader in the black garb stepped up towards her, and said in a softer tone than before, "Let me take you to Sensei Wu."


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 3

The guard in black, who identified himself as Cole, led Alex back down into the ship. He didn't speak to her after the incident on the deck, and Alex wasn't obliged to exactly start up a conversation after the harsh like exchange. The others had also remained quiet as she was escorted downstairs, even the one in white, who only gave her a reassuring glance before turning away.

As they turned towards a door, Cole finally turned to her, "So what's your story?"

"What do you mean, complete stranger whose name I discovered only recently?" Alex replied. "I mean, for starters... do you have a name?" Cole asked. "Careful, that's already getting too personal," she replied jokingly, getting a small chuckle out of the black garbed... ninja was it?

"Well I told you my name, so I think it's only fair for you to reveal some top secret information." Alex smiled at this and replied, "Alexandra, but call me Alex." Cole gave a small smile, "See, that wasn't so hard, was it Alex?" "Yeah it was, I feel so exposed now," Alex said, relaxing at the fact that she could possibly get along with these people.

Cole turned to open the door, creating a stir of emotions inside Alex. Who was this Sensei Wu? Would he be accepting, or cold, like the neosapien leaders of her home?

Cole seemed to sense Alex's uneasiness, and reassured her. "Don't worry about meeting Sensei. He's a good man, and he's taught all of us so much. In fact, he's the reason we found you." Alex felt a little better at this, but still was unsure about the teacher who had possibly saved her life.

As the two walked in, the smell of tea and incense filled the air, but Alex was more concentrated on the figure before her. Sitting on the floor in a meditative stance, was an old man in a straw hat, dressed in a white robe, a bamboo staff at his feet. As he stood and opened his eyes, Alex noticed the smell of tea coming from his long white beard, which he stroked as he glanced at her, with wise and curious eyes.

"Thank you for delivering her here, Cole. You are dismissed for now. Alexandra and I have much to talk about," Sensei Wu instructed Cole, who gave a small nod and left the room. As much as she was scared, Alex was also intrigued by the fact that this man seemed to know her, even understand her.

"You are far from your home, aren't you, my dear?" Alex turned in surprise towards the old man, "How do you know? First off, I have no true home; second, you've never met me and I've never met you. How can you be sure I'm far from my home at all?"

"The spirit smoke never lies, it forewarned me of an anomaly three days ago out at sea, of a portal opening up to connect one dimension with this one," Sensei calmly responded, "I had my students steer to the site as quickly as possible, but by then, the portal had closed. However, the portal was not what I was searching for, what I needed to find, was the only survivor: you." "I was the only survivor?" Alex asked. "Indeed, though the smoke was vague, it told me that the last alive would be the key to what I was searching for." Sensei said. Before Alex could reply, Sensei interrupted with, "No, I will not reveal what key you could posses yet. Perhaps later, when the others are here, but for now, the true discussion is about you, my girl.

"Whether you believe my side of the story or not, you were brought here for a reason, and hopefully it will become clear, but for now, let me ask you, do you know what spinjitzu is?"

"Spinitsu... what?" Alex felt confused. "Spinjitzu," Sensei said, "A fighting style that when mastered, allows you to harness true elemental energy." "And what, you think I have that ability?" Alex asked. "Possibly, in time all will be revealed," Sensei responded, "But for now get accustomed to it, for my students have just finished mastering their potential, and from them you may learn something."

"Ok... but is that it?" "I would also like to know your background; who you were before you ended up on the _Bounty_," Sensei looked to Alex.

She hesitated, unsure of answering Wu's questions, and revealing her past, yet at the same time, she felt that she could trust him. He had no reason to hurt her, and he didn't seem like one to belong to the neosapien secret service.

So she spent the next few hours venting what she had experienced, with Sensei Wu intently listening to every word. Alex felt like crying in relief that she could share what had hurt her for so long, and when the time came for her to end at the present, she found herself tearing.

"It is ok, Alexandra, I know it is hard to reveal what may seem damaging, but it is all a part of moving on. You are among friends now, so I would like you to join them now. I will send for Zane to show you around. And I promise you, I will not speak of this to anyone." Alex felt relieved at Sensei's words; it felt good to trust someone again; it had truly been so long.

Soon the door opened to reveal the young man who had helped Alex off of her precarious ledge. "I believe you have already met each other," Sensei said, "I would like you to show Alex around the _Bounty_, Zane, introduce her to everyone, and prepare her for dinner, especially since it is Cole's turn for cooking." Zane nodded, and gestured to Alex to leave first.

As they left the room, Zane asked, "I do not mean to be impolite, but I suppose you do not want to reveal your discussion with Sensei." "You are perceptive," Alex said, "So tell me, should I be worried about Cole's dinner?" "Er.. No offense to my brother, but his cooking is quite atrocious, yet he still remains convinced that his cooking is good," Zane scratched his head in embarrassment as Alex chuckled. "Thanks for the warning, but for now, we should just concentrate on the grand tour, right?" Zane smiled, "Yes we should."

He began to show her the basic rooms: her room, the bathroom, the other rooms, and quickly peeking in and out of the kitchen due to the foul, eye watering smell of whatever Cole was burning alive.

Zane took her to the living room, only to wind up confronting the other two ninja, as well as a young blonde boy with a mischievous look in his eyes. "Alex, these are my brothers, Jay and Kai, and Lloyd, Sensei's nephew," Zane introduced her to the blue ninja, Jay, the red ninja, Kai, and the boy Lloyd.

"Umm... hello. Nice to meet you and... sorry for any injuries I might have caused."

Expecting a fight, Alex was surprised when Jay accepted her apology. "It was a good punch, hey, maybe I can get you back sometime." "Sure, if you even remember it tomorrow," Kai retorted, "You're cool with me for now, hot shot, just whatever you do, don't get this guy talking to much. He'll never stop."

"Aww come on, I don't talk that much, my parents are WAY worse! Like that time when..." Jay kept rattling on about some story involving a science fair and his mom, while Kai grabbed a pillow and pressed it hard on his face.

Meanwhile Lloyd came up to Alex, "Nice job teaching Kai a lesson, the guy can be way too cocky."

"I heard that small fry!"

Lloyd shrugged, "As long as you don't infect me with cooties, you're fine with me, Alex. Maybe I won't give you a newbie prank that's too harsh." "Try if you want kid, but I've seen everything, so watch your step with that rubber spider behind your back." Alex responded as Lloyd gaped, looking from the rubber spider that he had in his pocket to Alex. "That... is soo cool! You gotta teach me how to do that!"

"Maybe later," Alex said, heading for the exit with Zane, "I'll be seeing you guys later, then." Lloyd waved, Kai grumbled, and Jay kept on blabbing his mouth off as the two left to go up into another room where every wall seemed to be covered in screen and buttons.

"This is the bridge," Zane said, "Her we steer the _Bounty_ and keep track of anything bad happening in Ninjago. And if I am correct, Nya should be here as well."

"Someone say my name?" A feminine voice came from under a shelf, and soon the girl came out from underneath to look at the two. "So, looks like you're finally up," the girl said, "Name's Nya. I'm Kai's sister, the _Bounty's_ mechanic, and Samurai X." Alex introduced herself to Nya, "Great to know I won't be surrounded by all of these men," she replied jokingly, to which Nya laughed, "I feel you, it's great to meet you and I hope we can become great friends!" Alex smiled and said her goodbye as she and Zane made their way out into the fresh air. The two leaned on the side, looking into the ocean, admiring how the sun setting looked on the water.

"Have you ever seen such a beautiful sunset?" Zane asked. "I never had time to notice them; the only things I concentrated on were finding a place to stay, and planning what I should do next."

"It sounds like you had a rough life," Zane observed. "You have no idea," Alex replied. Zane looked at her, "Why do you cover your face with your hair? You have nothing to hide." The question was unnerving, since no one had ever asked her why, but she responded anyway, "I do have something to hide: my shame and my past."

Zane looked confused, but said no more, and the two looked out at the final rays of light diminishing.

"...Zane?"

He turned towards Alex, "Yes?"

"You didn't show me your room fully. Is there a reason?" Alex inquired.

"Oh. It's just that we have a guest using our room right now. He is Sensei's brother, Lord Garmadon, the dark lord." "You have an evil dark lord living in your room?" Alex asked.

"Well, he is Lloyd's father, and he helped Sensei make it back here, so I believe we do owe him something." Alex was still confused, but said no more on the matter.

"Come, dinner should be ready by now," Zane put his hand on Alex's shoulder and led her back inside.

**Well I hope that was satisfying, because I really have worn myself out with all of these chapters, but despite that, I will continue writing this weekend, but with finals on the way, I might limit to once a week.**

**For those confused about timeline, the ninja have unlocked their true potentials, but Lloyd has not been announced as green ninja. All will be revealed in the next chapter. And for romances, I have not worked the details out completely, but I may set up a poll on who you all might want, but for now, I'm concentrating on the growing trust and friendship.**

**Thank you to the reviewers, your support is valued, and hope everyone lets me know how they feel about the story and what I could change. I will see you all in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 4

Everyone at the table was in high spirits, with Nya talking to Jay, while Jay stared dreamily at her; Lloyd and Kai discussing fighting situations; Sensei speaking quietly to a dark man in a bone samurai helmet, who Alex assumed to be Lord Garmadon; and Zane helping Cole serve... whatever was in that sopping dark foam filled with chunks of what looked like pieces of rubber. When Alex was offered the concoction, she refused, preferring to stick to some bread and butter.

Alex was the only one who was not speaking to the others, preferring to sit at the end of the table, silently contemplating over her situation. So this world, Ninjago, was apparently not her own, according to Sensei Wu, and her own world was... God knows where. She began to compare this world to her home: her world was a dark, tragic place, where if you didn't obey the rules and accept your fate as a slave you would be punished, or at least find yourself with little to survive off of. She had barely survived the past four years on her own, and had only gained reinforcements recently after the people discovered her reputation post the events where... Alex lost her train of thought for a second as her scar began throbbing. Since that day in her life, it had always throbbed at the mention of his name and the thought of his face as he raised the dagger, the one she had carried since.

Four years on her own, and before that... all a blank. She believed it had been a side effect of her past that her memories had been deeply submerged, unable to surface due to whatever trauma had occurred. In general, her life had been rebellion against the demons of Hell.

Now she looked at this world. Ninjago had its threats and crimes, of course, but the land still seemed almost peaceful compared to Alex's world. The people here were not oppressed and crushed under another's rule, but were happy, something Alex had hoped to see in the eyes of the humans of her home.

The people that had rescued her actually stood out for others, rather than fend for themselves. And despite their opposite personalities, they had bonded and learned from their Sensei; to the point where they had unlocked their true power.

If she had to choose worlds, her heart would be set on Ninjago; at least she wouldn't be traumatized to the point of amnesia. However, her mind seemed to point to the fact that evil is everywhere, though it plainly showed in her home, it seemed subtle here, but the darkness still existed. It especially radiated in Lord Garmadon, from the untrustworthy look of anger in his red eyes, to the waves of hatred emanating from him to travel throughout the room, providing a darker atmosphere.

It was through this that Alex realized that evil never truly goes away.

While Alex was contemplating her situation, she failed to notice the silence at the table and everyone's eyes trained in her direction. When Alex did notice, she almost fell on the floor, earning a snicker from Jay, who was elbowed by Kai.

As Alex repositioned herself, she asked, "Is there something on my face?"

Zane shook his head, "Sensei was asking you a question."

"I asked if you would like to share your tale of your journey up until now," Sensei repeated.

Alex hesitated, her mental blockades rising; why should she reveal anything to these strangers? For all she knew they could be spies, how could she trust them?

_Yet you trusted Sensei Wu with your past._

Alex thought long and hard; she had just realized her already placed trust in these people and had already shared her past with Sensei, what would the harm be in sharing the truth? It's not like they know her or anything.

After a long mental discussion, she looked up at the eight faces staring at her, and began her tale:

"_My life, at least the parts I remember, has been a complete wreck of misfortunes. I just woke up on the side of the street one day four years ago, with no memory and no family; a small girl covered in rags and scrapes._

_For a while, I just wandered, trying to discover my past, and where I fit into society, and it was through that process that I discovered what world I live in._

_Mankind had once ruled this world, and from what I had been told, the world may not have been peaceful, but it had been a better situation then the one we had now._

_Overtime, natural disaster tore the world apart, and each country blamed their misfortunes on their enemies. Soon, alliances broke, brother turned against brother, and we tore ourselves apart._

_In the time of the wars, the neosapiens arrived, first establishing themselves as peaceful, and then offered to share their technology with us. They gained our trust though promises of power and aid, but soon they revealed their true purpose._

_I was told that one day, out of the blue, humanity woke to the skies filled with UFOs, and in a matter of seconds, the ground began to burn, as rays of fire shot down from above. They trapped the people like rats, massacring them to the point where the survivors were completely outnumbered by their forces. That day, humanity gave up its freedom to the invaders, and since then, have spent their lives as slaves to the ones who dare to call themselves "new" humans, the purer race._

_I traveled around, and saw how the people were treated; forced to mine, build, and serve without question, or face a fate worse than death._

_It was then that I found my purpose, for how could mankind rise up again without someone to set the spark? Those who had tried in the past had failed and paid the price, but I realized that with no memory, I had nothing to think about losing, thus I could stand up to the overlords and show humanity a new future._

_The first few attempts, I managed to evade capture, but it produced little results. After about a year, I decided that in order to turn the tables, I had to go to the source of the issue: the neosapien leader._

_After months of planning I set out to the capital to confront the tyrant himself. After a few close calls, I made it into his office, where he was leaning over his desk, unaware of my presence..."_

As Alex crept her way towards him, knife raised in hand, a deep voice responded.

"Don't think I didn't notice you slinking around, my dear. After all I knew someone would come in here one day to try and fail to assassinate me."

Alex froze in her tracks as he turned around. His face was human in appearance, but she wasn't fooled by the calm expression; she could see the cold look in his pale colored eyes.

"Now the real question is: why? Do you feel willing to answer? Or should I call my guards now?"

Alex grew furious, "Why? Why do you think?! You're the reason my race is breaking their backs out there, dying from hunger or thirst, or from the torture you and your puppets inflict for no reason but fun! You're bloodthirsty, violent, cruel, and would be better of de..."

_Smack_

Alex found herself on the ground, clutching her cheek, as the malevolent lord stood above her. "Careful, my dear, you were almost getting on my good side for making it this far. I was thinking of offering you a position as a high ranking official, but I think I'd prefer seeing your corpse on the floor in front of me."

He lowered himself to her eye level and picked up the knife, "How are you so sure they are _your_ people. If I am correct, you have no memory, Alexandra."

Alex looked bewilderedly at him, "How do you know..?"

"That is for me to know and for you to never find out. After the hostile exchange you gave me I feel like keeping your origins a secret. Now..."

He glanced at the knife in his hand, "Let's teach you a lesson..."

Alex paused there, as her scar began to throb at the thought of the events that had occurred afterwards. "So afterwards, I barely escaped with my life, and up until now, I've devoted my time to instigating small revolts rather than confront that psychopath again. Sometimes I teamed up with others, but that turned out with me getting a death sentence. If it wasn't for that portal..."

The people at the table stared at her in shock, with the exception of Sensei Wu, who had heard the story already, and Lord Garmadon, who understood the dark ways of torture and seemed less sympathetic. Lloyd had surprisingly stayed to listen, and now looked up at Alex with wonder and shock, "What happened with you and the evil overlord?"

"This isn't the time to be asking that, Lloyd," Nya answered. The boys nodded, their faces also reflecting a look of horror.

Alex took this as her cue, "I should...go to bed..." She stood up from the table, and quickly left the room before any tears gave way and her headache became uncontrollable.

Alex ran to her room and locked the door, going up to the vanity mirror to check on her scar. She lifted up the hair covering the left side of her face to reveal a long jagged scar that ran from just above her eyebrow down to her upper lip. It was now tinged in a red tint, not too different from how it had looked the day she received it. Alex had many scrapes from that day, but the one on her head seemed to be the one that ached the most, possibly from trauma or some kind of mental damage.

Alex put down her hair and went to the dresser, where she discovered some fresh clothes, a comb and toothbrush, and one object that she thought surely lost from her arrival: her dagger, the very one that had caused her scar and the one that she had failed to use to save her people. Alex pulled out the dagger, looking over the polished blade, before putting it away and donning on a fresh pair of pajamas. Tonight, there would be no need to worry about safety.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 5

No sooner had Alex closed her eyes that she woke to a knock on her door. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and made her way to the door, opening it to find Nya.

"Hey there. Did you have a good night's sleep? I'm sorry to bother you, especially after the whole... sharing your past thing, but Sensei Wu told me he wants to see you in the bridge in a few minutes. Hope that's all right."

"No, no, that's fine, about time I woke up anyway," Alex replied, giving Nya a small smile. The latter looked relieved, "Oh well... I'll let you get dressed now." She turned to the hallway, but turned around to add one more thing:

"By the way, you were really brave to admit that to us. That took a lot of courage; I'm sure even I wouldn't reveal that without freaking out."

Alex gave a small smile, "It's good to get something like that off your chest though." Nya smiled back, "Guess so," and walked away.

Alex felt a little pressure go off her chest at the thought of someone who looked at her as a true friend. She had never had friends, at least none that she remembered, and she liked the idea of calling Nya a good friend.

On that note, Alex started to change clothes, choosing a nice emerald green top with some snug jeans. She combed her hair thoroughly, and before she left her room, realized she had the dagger clutched tightly in her hand. She quickly pulled it out, since there was no reason for her to carry it around, and left for the bridge.

As she entered, she noticed that she wasn't alone. The ninja, each holding a golden weapon, were also there, as well as Garmadon, who was eyeing the golden weapons in the boys' hands.

Sensei Wu beckoned Alex in, and began the meeting.

"I called you all here to discuss a certain matter of importance. Since the four of you have unlocked your true potentials, I believe it is time to meet the Green Ninja."

Alex looked towards Wu, "Green Ninja?"

Zane quickly explained, "There is a prophecy that one ninja will rise above all and become the ninja destined to vanquish all evil. We have been searching to find this chosen one ever since the scroll was found."

"Which, as I recall, you discovered and read without my permission," Sensei looked to the ninja, who were scratching their heads in embarrassment.

"As I was saying, I had you bring the four weapons for a reason, so stand in a circle and place the weapons on the floor. They will react to the one who is destined to be the Green Ninja."

The ninja nodded, and began to place the weapons on the ground. Meanwhile, Alex decided to just stay back while they found this 'Green Ninja' person, and sat in the corner of the room. She noticed Garmadon following suit, moving by the window of the bridge and glaring at the weapons. _He must really want those weapons_, Alex thought, noticing how his four hands were being clenched open and closed.

After about an hour of placing the weapons in different positions, the ninja were exasperated, while Sensei Wu seemed unsurprised. "A shame, well then, Alex you may leave. I understand how this had made you uncomfortable."

Alex felt relieved at this request, and began to walk out the room, past the golden weapons. As she walked past them, the weapons began to glow, which stopped her dead in her tracks. All at once the weapons began to shine brighter, and began to rise, encircling Alex in a greenish aura. "What the heck? Can you guys call of your golden weapons for, like, a second?"

Sensei Wu walked over to her, a gleam in his eyes telling Alex that he somehow knew something like this would happen. "Well, boys, would you like to fully introduce yourselves to your new teammate Alex, the Green Ninja?"

Alex sat on her bed, looking down at the green outfit on her lap in shock and wonder. She had been on this ship for a day, and already, a destined Green Ninja? Alex shook her head in disbelief. She may have seemed like a sort of heroic person in her own world, but now, in a completely new place, she was a chosen savior?

She looked at the green outfit Sensei had delivered to her after she had walked away from all of the shocked expressions and Jay's voice shouting after her, "But she's a random girl!"

She couldn't blame Jay; now she would be expected to work with these ninja, try to cooperate, AND save the world from impending evil. It really was a lot to take in.

Alex glanced at her dagger, looking at the reflection staring back at her. Before any of the events of the past four years, this face would have seemed innocent, maybe even pretty. Now, there was nothing but sorrow, fear, and confusion in her emerald eyes, and her dark hair now seemed unkempt rather than smooth, which seemed strange since she had just combed it this morning. She lifted her hair to look at the scar, looking as angry and jagged as it had the day she got it. Though it had healed, and her eye had been spared from the cut, it still proved an issue.

As Alex heard the door open, she immediately turned away, facing the window that hung over her bed, staring into the sea. She refused to look at the person who had entered, even when he sat next to her on the bedside.

When she finally turned around, she looked to see Zane sitting beside her, a worried expression on his face.

"What is it now?" she asked, turning back to the window.

"I just wanted to see how my new teammate is taking this news," Zane replied softly.

"Just like everyone else on this ship is taking this news besides you and Sensei, with a lot of shock, and a lot of contemplations."

Zane looked at Alex, "Do you believe that we dislike you over this fact?"

Alex looked back at him, "What do you mean?"

"We never disliked you in the first place. Not even when you beat up on us and acted stubborn. Sure Kai's pride was slightly damaged, but once you get to know him, you realize he has a good heart. Jay doesn't mind, I certainly do not mind, and Cole thinks it will be interesting watching you trying to catch up with us and train." Zane now stood and grabbed the Green Ninja outfit, "You were brought here for a reason, and now that we know why, we can help you prepare and become a true hero."

Alex took in his calm, wise words and thought about the situation. So the guys apparently didn't hate her, or even care, and maybe with some work, she may even call them friends one day. Fact was, these guys were growing on her already, and that wasn't just because they saved her life.

"Do you... really believe I can do this?" She stood up and took the outfit, staring at its gold and green designs.

"Yes, I do," Zane said, and began to leave the room, "Just know we are a team now, and we all stick out for each other, as brothers and now as brothers and sister."

Before he left the room, Alex called after him, "Hey Zane."

He turned around, "Yes?"

Alex donned on the mask part of the ninja outfit, "Thanks. Looking forward to working with you."

Zane smiled, "And I with you, Alexandra."

Once he left, Alex closed the door, looked to her new ninja outfit, and smiled.

"I am the Green Ninja."


	7. Chapter 7

Ch 6

Looking over the outfit in the mirror, Alex admired the design of the Green Ninja outfit. The green complimented her eyes, while the gold accents on the armor really took the whole ninja style to a new level. She smiled, adding her dagger to the belt at her side, and headed for her first training lesson, which Nya had reminded her of about ten minutes ago.

Speaking of which, Nya was waiting outside the room to inspect Alex in the outfit. As she stepped out, Nya gave a wide smile. "It looks great, now put up the hood as the last touch." Alex obliged, and lifted up the mask, which was soft against her face and allowed her to easily breathe.

"Awesome. I think this Green Ninja is ready to show off some skills! C'mon, let's go." Nya led Alex up deck to where Cole was waiting for them. The other three were busy sparring, using their elemental weapons and a strange twister that complimented their gi color.

"About time. Girls always seem to want to make everything look perfect. We're only training." Cole looked exasperated, but there was a playful look in his eyes. Alex smiled and retorted, "Just want to learn how to defeat my enemies in style."

Cole and Nya both laughed, and Nya responded with, "Well good luck in training, and try not to beat up on her too much Cole. She is the chosen one."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry."

Once Nya had left, Cole turned to Alex, "Well, I think we'll start off this lesson with you finding a weapon best suited for you."

"No need. Already got my dagger." Alex pointed to her belt.

"That works, but you never know what you'll find here," Cole said as he lead her to a room full of different kids of weapons. "Take your pick."

Alex examined each weapon with interest. She had always felt comfortable with bladed weapons, so that eliminated some options. She grabbed a pair of butterfly swords, testing their weight in her hands, _Possibly, but let's move on._

She tried a lethal looking axe, but the weight felt a little overbearing. The bo staff she grabbed ended up flying around the room, barely missing the two, and Cole had immediately steered her away from that sort of weapon. Alex finally looked to a bow and sheath of arrows, which seemed like an interesting change of pace. "Can I try this one out?" she asked Cole. "Why not? Target's outside."

He led her to the target, and Alex began to position herself with the bow. The string wasn't too tight, and the bow felt fitted, so she fitted an arrow, aimed, and let it fly... into the floorboard of the ship a few feet in front of the target. "What do you think?" she asked Cole. "Maybe, have you tried throwing your dagger before?" "A couple of times, but I'm not sure I'm very accurate." Cole looked at her, "I think you'll be fine. You did kind of look too tense using two separate tools."

Alex took her dagger, aimed again, and... the knife hit the target straight on. "Nice! Bull's-eye!" Alex took a bow and went to retrieve the dagger. Feeling good about herself, she turned away from the target, "Let's try this looking away." She flung the dagger, and heard a yell, as well as Cole's laughter. When Alex turned around, she saw her dagger and a freaked out Jay; apparently the knife had been way off, and had missed Jay's nose by an inch.

"I get that you're just starting out but can you PLEASE avoid killing me?" Jay asked, as Kai and Cole chuckled and Zane merely strode up to the knife, and handed it back to Alex.

After Cole had finished, he looked to Alex, "Well, as long as you don't look away, you seem pretty handy with the dagger. Do you want just that, or maybe another blade?"

Alex went back to the room and chose a pair of butterfly swords to use as an additional weapon. "All done?" Cole asked. Alex nodded. "Good, now we can begin."

Cole took her to a sort of training obstacle course inside the _Bounty_. "Here is where you can begin to learn Spinjitzu. Just complete the obstacle course in the shortest amount of time possible. Can you handle that?" Cole looked to Alex. She looked back and nodded, and made her way to the beginning of the course.

"Ready? Go!"

Alex quickly began the course, only to get knocked off her feet and land face first on the floor. Cole chuckled a bit, "Don't worry about it, took a while for me and the others to grasp the idea too. Try again."

Alex tried again, making it a little bit farther before becoming acquainted with the floor. She kept up this way for a couple of hours, each time progressing a bit further. _Dodge, punch, jump, c'mon almost there, don't give up now._

By the time she finally finished, Alex felt exhausted and bruised, but proud at her accomplishments. "Well look at you, you learn fast. Bet Kai will be happy to know you beat his record on this course." Cole smiled, "Well done."

Alex gave a small smile back, "But seriously, how does this help me create a tornado?" Cole looked to her, "Apply what you learned from the course and work out the movements. Then you'll see what happens."

Alex began to use her muscle memory to work out the movements. _First here, then there, here comes the dummy._ Before she knew it, Alex was surrounded by a flow of green, and laughed out in excitement. "I did it! I actually did it! I... whoa!" In her excitement, Alex lost control of the tornado and spun out onto the floor, dizzy and exhausted.

"I... did it..." she panted out, and Cole laughed, "Yeah, chosen one, you did."

He helped her up onto her feet slowly, and then said, "Well I think that's enough for today. You've really come far, and your past fighting experience helps the process become a little easier. Great job today." Alex smiled, "Thanks; for teaching me and for putting up with my antics." Cole smiled back, "It's cool. To be honest you're a lot easier to handle when you're not hanging off the side of the ship." Alex rolled her eyes and laughed, "Aren't you hilarious."

The two made their way inside, Alex heading straight for the shower. On the way she bumped into a dark figure: Lord Garmadon. "Sorry," Alex said, moving out of the way for the dark lord to pass. He glared at her for a moment before leaving, muttering under his breath. _Well someone's cheerful,_ Alex thought as she entered the bathroom and began to clean herself. What was the guy's problem? The only thing she ever did to him was existed, and the incident that just occurred.

As she was changing, Alex began to wonder if it was because of the whole Green Ninja thing. She was supposed to vanquish evil, so that would include Garmadon, so maybe he had already begun to treat her like an enemy. Well fortunately for him she had just received the memo, since Alex knew she was the wrong person to mess with, especially when someone messed with others that meant something to her.

It was then that Alex truly believed that she trusted her new team. They seemed so accepting and so laid back with having her become part of the group, and they had seemed understanding of her troubled past, since they never mentioned it after that moment. Alex felt glad to be accepted; she liked these guys and now she was sure that they liked her too.

After a nice dinner, courtesy of Zane, who was by far the best cook ever, and a video game tournament with her and Lloyd versus Jay and Kai, Alex fell asleep with a smile on her face and a mind filled with emotions she hadn't experienced in so long. When she woke up, she happily donned on her Green Ninja gear and headed for the training room.

When no one appeared to be there, Alex headed for the bridge, where she found the others, who were looking grimly at a highlighted map on the screen.

"Whoa, what's with all the long faces?" Alex inquired as she walked up to the others.

Kai turned to her with a somber look on his face, "The Serpentine are at it again."

**So yes, I brought the Serpentine into this. The next chapters will coincide with the series, staring with the episode All of Nothing. I don't know if I'll stick to the series completely, but for now, it will.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I put a lot of work into writing this stuff today, since with semester finals and bowling season ending, I'm not going to have time for the story until possibly later this week. Not entirely sure about when, but I'll get at least one chapter up.**

**Thank you for your consideration and I hope you enjoy this story **


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 7

After receiving the story from the boys, Alex was able to fit together the pieces of the group's recent adventures. Apparently, Lloyd had unleashed an ancient evil race known as the Serpentine in order to try to follow in his father's footsteps. Rather than obey him, the Serpentine set out with their own intentions, and with the Anacondrai Pythor uniting the others for his own goal of awakening an ancient beast known as the Great Devourer, the ninja were currently trying to thwart the plan by obtaining the Fang Blades. After some misfortunes and unlockings of true potentials, the ninja were currently bladeless, while the Serpentine had only one more to go.

Now the real goal was to locate and obtain the last Fang Blade to prevent doomsday at the hands, or rather tail... scales... whatever, of a giant snake. Problem was Pythor was already at the site of the last blade, according to the boys' encounter with a Serpentine in Ninjago City last night while Alex was asleep.

Despite her disappointment in not being able to go on the mission last night, Alex was intent on helping the others obtain the Fang Blades. She wanted to at least save this world successfully.

Jay turned to the others, "C'mon guys. This is the last Fang Blade. We have to think of some way to stop them."

They all pondered over what to do, until the silence was broken by Lloyd, "Hey, but if they need all four, why don't we just take the other three while Pythor's distracted?"

"Huh. It's so simple" Cole said. "Why didn't I think of that," Kai mused.

The idea would be dangerous and the blades would be well guarded, so who knows what the team would face.

Alex had to give credit to Lloyd for this idea, but she agreed with Garmadon when he mentioned, "But how do we know where they're keeping the blades? You have no idea of where they are."

Nya managed to solve this by using the computer's sonar to discover that the snakes have been traveling underground this whole time. "Right under our noses," Jay remarked. "Or rather, our feet," Zane commented.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Alex asked, "Let's go get these Fang Blades!"

Alex watched the ninja, and Nya and Sensei in the samurai suit, head into the Serpentine hideout, a glum look on her face. She had ended up begging for Sensei Wu to let her join in on the fight, but he had insisted she was not ready and too important to lose. "Perhaps when you have trained more, I can allow you to start with small missions."

"Small?! I've been in waaay worse situations than this. Heck, I've put up with weeks of torture! There's no way this mission meets that situation!" Alex was steamed and very upset.

"Your time will come later, but for now, stay on the ship with Lloyd and Garmadon. I'm counting on you to take control."

Alex took those last words into affect as she made her way into the training room to begin vigorously exercising, going through the steps of Spinjitzu.

She was in the middle of practicing her sword fighting when Nya's voice came on intercom, "Operation Stealth...zz...total bust...zzz...need back up...zzz..."

Alex immediately sheathed her weapons and headed for the bridge to find Lloyd and Garmadon. As she ran, she nearly avoided a collision with the dark lord, who was coming out of the room looking dejected. "What happened?" Alex asked. Garmadon looked to her, "If my own son cannot look at me without seeing my evil nature, then perhaps it's best I leave."

"You're giving up? After all you've been through?"

"I'm evil at heart; I don't want my son to be influenced by me. He hates me enough as it is."

Alex took a deep breath, "Let me make this quick, since I have an emergency to deal with. I haven't been here long enough to know any of you, but I do know that any father would do anything for his son, no matter what the cost and how bad it may seem. Abandoning him now could shape him into something neither of you would want. I know he may seem to hate you now, but inside he knows what you're going through and he knows what destiny has in store for you and for all of us. So before you walk out on him, think for a minute about what YOU want for your son, and STICK with it; no switching around between being there and then pushing away."

With that note across, Alex walked into the room before stating, "You should feel lucky, at least you remember who your family is."

Alex and Lloyd climbed up the mountain towards the entrance hurriedly, Alex in her ninja outfit, and Lloyd in a spare black gi. Helping him up a few times on the craggy steppes, she and Lloyd finally made there way inside, where they looked over the spectacle of the Serpentine groups gathered in a circle, watching a fight, while their friends were trapped in a cage.

"Ok Lloyd, we can do this, just be quiet."

Lloyd nodded, and the two ran down the slope to free the others.

It would have gone well had Lloyd not tripped on a crack in the floor, careening into Alex and sending the two spiraling into the middle of the Serpentine group.

Standing up, Alex looked around at the bewildered looks of the snakes, and the first thing out of her mouth at the spectacle was, "Jeez, you guys are uuuugggllllyy."

Lloyd stood up, glaring at the purple snake, who must have been Pythor, and began to preach about how the Green Ninja and her trusty sidekick would defeat them all with a flurry of fists. This caused the Serpentine to laugh, and the one called Pythor to jeer at their small numbers. It got to the point where Alex got so pissed at them making fun of Lloyd and herself that she officially strutted up to Pythor and slapped his smug scaly face, adding a defiant spit in his right eye.

She was pretty sure Pythor would have killed her had it not been for Garmadon's magnificent timing with his army of skeletons. With the snakes distracted, Lloyd freed the ninja, Sensei and Nya, while Alex obtained the Fang Blades. The timing allowed their quick escape, with more than what they hoped for.

After the mission, Sensei spoke to Alex about her acts. "What you and Lloyd did was rash, especially how you slapped the leader of the Serpentine and spat in his face." Alex lowered her head. "However you did well and perhaps your next mission will be sooner than you think."

Alex couldn't help but smile as she left the room.

**Whoa! Actually had time for that! I had to rewatch the season to figure out the basis of this chapter :P**

**Well hope you guys enjoy this chapter. If you enjoyed it or recommend something for me to do please let me know. Feedback is always welcome.**

**Have a Great Week! **


	9. Chapter 9

Ch 8

"I can't believe you actually slapped and spat on Pythor! Kind of rash but also pretty cool!" Kai was having a small sparring session with Alex, going over the details of yesterday's mission.

"Thanks, but I only retaliated how I would with anyone who annoyed me or others I cared about," Alex replied as she dodged Kai's blade and retaliated with a blow using her butterfly swords. "Well then I'm glad we're teammates," Kai smiled as he parried the swords and went in for another jab.

After some jokes and blows were exchanged, the two decided to end the sparring and take a break, sitting on the deck and swigging some water.

"You really are improving, you know. You must have had some training experience to be able to keep up with us AND break my record on the training course." Kai looked to Alex, face full of sweat. She blushed slightly, but since her face was red it was hard to tell, "Thanks. But I'm sure I wouldn't have made it this far without all of your help. Sure I knew how to survive, be stealthy, and wield a knife, but this training has taught me so much more. Thanks to you guys, I can now do Spinjitzu."

"True, guess the four of us are good teachers." Alex smiled at this, "Yea, when you're not screwing around."

"Hey!" Kai looked annoyed but laughed along with Alex as they watched the _Bounty _sail across the air.

After a while, Kai turned to Alex, "Ready to go get lunch? Don't worry my sister's cooking today." "Sounds neat," Alex said and she and Kai both made their way inside the ship. As she walked downstairs, she clumsily missed a step and tripped, and would have fallen had Kai not reacted and caught her.

"Careful," Kai said, helping Alex up onto her feet and walking her down the rest of the way. "Thanks, but I'm not a child. I can walk myself," Alex replied. "I know, just trying to prevent anything from happening to our Green Ninja," Kai gave Alex a smirk, to which she retorted with a light punch on his shoulder. "Hey save that for the Serpentine," Alex couldn't help but laugh along with Kai all the way to the dining room.

Alex was walking down the hall when she almost bumped into Garmadon _again_. "I really need to stop running into you. Trust me it's not on purpose." Garmadon just waved away her apology, looking back into the room he had just come out of.

"Were you talking to Lloyd?" Alex asked. He nodded, "He understands what path he must follow, even if that means our paths must diverge. He will help you and the others defeat me when the time comes."

Alex stayed quiet for a while, "I'm sorry that this means you have to leave. And that... next time we meet I'll be prepared to fight you."

He shrugged, "Better you than my own son."

Alex nodded and started to walk away, but was stopped by Garmadon's next words: "Thank you."

She turned to him, "For what?"

"For giving me the eyes to see what I needed to do. Lloyd is my son, and no matter how much evil runs through my veins, I must be there for him to help him understand; to guide him in order to make up for the time I had lost."

Alex let his words sink in, before replying: "You're welcome."

He nodded and before he left, the dark lord turned, "You were wrong with what you told me yesterday, about you having no family."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"You have a family in my brother and his ninja, even in my son. You've touched them and bonded with them in ways you wouldn't believe. You may have been no one in your world, but you mean something in this world."

And with that, Lord Garmadon turned away, leaving temporarily until the time came for the Final Battle.

With the _Bounty_ on its way to Torchfire Mountain, and the four Fang Blades in hand, the team was bursting with triumph. They spent their night celebrating, joking around, and even dancing, which Cole proved to show a great talent in. Luckily this distracted him from the kitchen, where Zane prepared a great dinner for the celebration.

Alex had never been to a party, so the loud noises had made her very jumpy. She found herself standing in the corner, while the others were playing a heated video game tournament. Though she did not join in, she laughed at their jokes and at their fails, and commented on their skills.

"Why aren't you over there with the others?" Alex turned to find Lloyd, staring at her with confusion. "Not used to parties where I'm from, kiddo," she replied as she drank some punch.

"But you're missing out on the fun! You HAVE to join!" Lloyd retorted, "C'mon, let's go!"

Lloyd grabbed Alex's hand and dragged her to the crowd, "We wait for our turn, then we team up to beat the guys."

After a short while, Zane and Cole gave up their controllers to the two, and they found themselves facing off against Jay and Kai in a match.

"What the... what do the buttons do? How do I move?" Alex was so confused. Thankfully, Zane stepped in to help her work out which button does what.

Soon they were off, and despite a shaky start, Alex found herself enjoying the game, and even jumped up in victory at her and Lloyd's first win. The two high fived and fist bumped, Lloyd exclaiming, "We are the best team ever!"

After a few more rounds, they all sat down for some of Zane's cooking, enjoying the array of savory hors-d'oeuvres. This time, Alex sat in the middle of the group, joking and laughing along with the others, recounting stories that she had not believed funny until now.

She finally felt like she belonged, as she sat here with her new friends, every bit of fear, anger and nervousness draining. No more worrying about a place to sleep, about finding a meal, or about angry guards who would torture you to the point of death if they caught you. Alex could be herself, not the hollowed out shell society had wanted her to be, or the kamikaze heroine who rallied people who could not think for themselves. She finally saw who she really was: a kind, funny and intelligent girl who worked hard to find happiness.

Once everyone's belly was full, everyone spread out to do a number of things. Jay was chatting with Nya, Cole was dancing, Kai was playing Lloyd in a video game match, Sensei was drinking tea on the couch, and Alex found herself talking to Zane.

"Do you feel lonely now?" he asked a smiling Alex.

She looked to him, "Not so much anymore. You guys are really changing my life in more ways than you think." Smiling, Zane replied, "I'm glad you are happy. After all you've been through, you deserve this moment."

"Thanks. Honestly though, who would have ever thought I would be the Green Ninja?"

"If my calculations are correct, none of us did but Sensei. Kai especially, since he used to obsess over the fact."

"Seriously?" Alex laughed. "Yes, he was quite persistent." Zane laughed with her too.

"But in a way, I'm glad it was you. It worked out both ways; you getting a new view on your life and the four of us realizing that power isn't everything." Alex looked at Zane as he said this, and nodded. Smiling, she replied, "Glad we're all in agreement, then."

After a long night, the last thing Alex remembered before conking out in exhaustion was an epic dance off with Cole, and Zane carrying her to her room.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 9

They had almost reached Torchfire Mountain the next morning, the day stormy and the flying rough. Everyone was anxious to finally rid the world of the Fang Blades, but before that, they had to cope with air sickness.

Alex felt queasy, what with the constant rocking and the world spinning around in bright flashes of lightning. "Can't you use your zappy powers to stop this crazy storm?" she asked Jay as they sat at the table. "Sorry, my powers don't expand that far, at least I think they don't." He went back to eating a sandwich he made. "Great," Alex replied, barely able to stomach the fact that Jay could actually eat in these conditions. Cole had it bad as well, as he was seen running for the deck, looking worse for wear than Alex, face green and cheeks puffed.

At last, they reached the mountain, and with no storms to be seen, the team fetched the Fang Blades and headed outside. As they walked out, they noticed Sensei Wu looking into the volcano with a faraway look on his face.

"What's up with Sensei?" Jay asked. "He's been distant all morning," Zane observed. Alex looked to the old man, "Well let's find out, shall we?"

They walked over to Wu, and asked him why he seemed detached. "You do not need my approval to finish the task. Besides, there will come a time when you will have to carry on without me."

"You're talking crazy, Sensei. You've been alive for, like, forever." This earned Kai a push from Cole and a pinch from Alex. "Hey! Ouch!"

"What Kai means, Sensei, is that you are like the sunrise. We cannot live another day without you," said Zane

"Yes, but even the sun must go down for a new day to begin." Alex got tired at this point, "Look, neither of us like cryptic messages, so what is the problem? Are you going to leave?"

Sensei looked to her, "My visions of the spirit smoke have ceased, and I can no longer see what the future holds for me."

"But, that could be good, right? We are destroying the Fang Blades," Jay chimed in.

"Let's just focus on destroying these blades." And with that, the conversation ceased.

As Kai walked up to throw in the first blade, the _Bounty_ suddenly lurched to the side uncontrollably. Everyone was instantly thrown sideways, sliding towards the mouth of the volcano.

Before anyone could react, Sensei Wu was sliding down the ship, and hung over the edge for dear life. "Hang on Sensei!" Cole called out, and the five began to shift outwards towards their teacher. But before they could make it, Wu's hand slipped and he fell into the mountain. If it hadn't been for some quick thinking, Sensei would have been burnt to a crisp, but the ninja formed a chain to grab their teacher. Kai groaned at the weight, and called out to Nya, "What's going on?"

She replied, "Someone or something has overridden the system!"

Suddenly on the intercom, Lloyd's frantic voice yelled out, "Pythor's on board!"

The ninja turned their heads to see Pythor himself slithering towards them, Fang Blades in hand. "Sorry I can't lend a hand, but I'm in a bit of a rush, what with this whole Devourer buisiness," he chuckled menacingly, "Toodle-oo."

Despite Nya's and Lloyd's attempts to stop him, Pythor managed to get away on a chopper with his prize.

Meanwhile Kai's grip was slipping fast. "You better hold in there, I don't wanna die today," Alex yelled to him. "And you think I want to?" he retorted. In that instant, his grip slipped, and the ninja and Sensei found themselves falling into Torchfire Mountain.

Alex closed her eyes and waited, but soon opened them to find herself and the others holding on to Nya's samurai X suit, heading for the _Bounty_. As soon as they landed, they ran to get ready to track down Pythor, who was probably on his way to Ouroborous.

Alex quickly ran to retrieve her weapons, while Lloyd brought the ninja their Golden Weapons. When they met up, Sensei was sitting in the special seat on the Samurai Exosuit, with Nya inside. The ninja went over to retrieve there weapons.

"So how are me and Lloyd going to fit into all of this," Alex asked. "You're not," Sensei replied, "You are too important now, Alex, and Lloyd is too young."

"What? But didn't you see me hit Pythor in the face?" Lloyd complained.

"This is what I get for saving you guys and beating up on the enemy?! I thought I was ready for this!" Alex couldn't help being frustrated.

"Patience," Kai replied, "You'll both get your chance."

"Coming from the guy who doesn't know the meaning of patience."

Kai was about to retort, but Sensei interrupted him, "You will get your chance, but for now, you must wait. The two of you guard the ship while we prevent the Serpentine from reaching their destination."

And with that, the ninja, Nya, and Sensei jumped off and headed for Ouroborous, leaving a ticked off Alex and distraught Lloyd behind. "This sucks! I wanted to go out and fight, but it's like being outcasted all over again!" Lloyd looked upset.

Alex turned to the boy, understanding in her eyes, "I feel you, kid. I had to live like a pariah for a long while back home, but that never stopped me. Just because they left doesn't mean they care any less. You should know that, especially since you know you have a friend in me."

Lloyd looked up, "Really? You think I'm your friend?"

Alex nodded, "You helped in breaking me out of my shell, and I'm always going to be grateful to you for that."

Lloyd smiled, "Yea, you're right. You are a great friend. Though I still wish we could do something besides watching the ship."

Alex thought for a moment, turning to the bridge. "You know, maybe we can help them AND watch the ship."

It took a few tries to learn to fly the _Bounty_, and Alex had a few near misses, but soon she and Lloyd were speeding on their way to Ouroborous.

On their way, Lloyd pointed out an object on the road, and with further observation, Alex determined it to be the ninja and Nya. "Lloyd, time to drop anchor, on my mark."

Timing the anchor perfectly, it caught onto the car where their friends were sitting, and soon the _Bounty _was on its way, with their team in tow. "Hook, line and sinker," Lloyd joked, coaxing a laugh from Alex.

She pulled up the intercom, "Attention folks! This is your captain speaking. In a few short moments, we'll be nearing Ouroborous, so please fasten your seatbelts and hang on tight, because this is going to be a bumpy ride!"

Dark clouds were forming as they made their way to the ancient city, and on closer look, strange green lights were emanating from the center. Alex searched for a landing strip, and swiftly laid the bus cars and the ninja onto the ground. As the team sped off to find Pythor and Sensei, Lloyd and Alex quickly climbed down the anchor chain, and ran after their comrades.

As they arrived on the scene, they found Sensei Wu and Pythor amidst a swirl of chaos, the ground breaking from below as a pair of eyes shined clearly.

"Sensei what's going on?" Kai looked to their teacher.

Wu looked to his students, "You must do everything in your power to stop the Great Devourer. Go, ninja, go."

Before anyone could react, the ground exploded, as a giant scaly beast emerged from beneath their feet, towering up into the heavens. It turned to Sensei and Pythor, eyes glowing, and roared as it lunged towards the two figures and bit into the ground they stood on.

When it reared back, there was no sign of their wise teacher.

**And cue the Great Devourer!**

**Anyway, hope these last chapters were enough. I know they seemed rushed but I've been studying for my finals and had no time what with homework AND rewatching old episodes, to get the feel of the series to you guys.**

**A poll will be posted soon, I think, on who you want to pair Alex with. So be on the lookout!**

**As for the story, I'll continue updating when I can. It will follow the storyline of the episodes up into the next season, and somewhere in there, I'll diverge into my own plots. There's going to be some interesting things in store for Alex and the ninja, I can tell you that.**

**Follow, fav, review, whatever; I'll still be here though. Until next time **


	11. Chapter 11

Ch 10

Alex gaped in shock at the Great Devourer who had just swallowed her teacher; the one who had helped in guiding her down her troublesome path and had alleviated her of the pain she faced in her world. _He must have seen this in the spirit smoke. That's why he was so distant, _Alex thought, as the others mirrored her shocked and sad expression towards the incident that had just occurred right before them.

"Sensei..." Kai was in a trance of horror, and he wasn't the only one. Everyone could not live with the fact that their wise and kind teacher, who had united them together in the first place, was gone.

Unfortunately, the moment was short lived, as the giant serpent turned its gaze onto the ninja. The group froze in terror at the sight of the scaly beast. "Uh... maybe if we stand perfectly still," Jay's idea was cut off as the Devourer lunged at the group. "Run!" Cole yelled as the team leaped away from the snake's jaws and ran for the _Bounty_.

As they quickly jumped inside the ship, Nya immediately powered up the engines, and managed to barely escape the Devourer's bite as the ship lunged into motion.

"Ha ha! Take that you stupid snake," Kai yelled in triumph.

A sudden lurch in the ground below as a scaly head erupted begged to differ. "Please try to keep the insults for later," Alex retorted as the snake lunged. Nya had to use all of her willpower to steer the _Bounty_ away from the serpent. "Can't this thing go any faster?" Kai yelled to his sister. "We're going as fast as we can!" she shouted back.

Panic erupted as the snake came up and barely missed the starboard side of the ship. "We're losing speed," Lloyd reported, "At this rate we'll hit the ground soon." "Then start throwing things overboard," Nya shouted back, distracted by the argument caused.

"Hard to port, it's coming back up!" Alex yelled as the Devourer lunged, this time managing to take down a turbine with it. The ninja took this as the right time to throw everything off the ship, as it began to lose speed. As Alex ran into a room to throw away its contents, she spotted Sensei's tea pot on the floor and after some hesitation, took it with her.

As she headed back on deck, she looked with the others toward the giant serpent as the _Bounty_ gained speed. _Look at that thing eat,_ she thought as the Devourer gobbled the items they had just thrown over.

"Uh, is it just me or is that thing getting bigger?" Jay asked. Alex looked carefully to the beast and realized Jay was right. With everything it consumed, the Devourer increased in size.

"Don't throw anything over!" she yelled at Kai, but he had already tossed in the teapot she had brought from Wu's room right into the snake's mouth.

"Hold on!" Nya cried as the ship entered Scatter Canyon, with the Great Devourer hot in pursuit. After some close calls it seemed they had lost the serpent, until it came up from atop a ridge and slammed the ship with its tail.

"Abandon ship!" Nya called as she hustled to retrieve her exosuit, Lloyd quickly in pursuit. Alex hurried onto the deck, preparing to jump, but Cole grabbed her arm. "No need," he said, "You're coming with me."

Soon Alex found herself in Cole's Tread Assault, alongside the others in their vehicles and Lloyd with Nya on the samurai suit, looking back at the _Bounty_, which had just collided with the ground in a heap. It was almost too much to bear; first losing Sensei, then their home, to the mistakes of the Serpentine.

It was a short lived moment again as the Devourer interrupted the heart breaking scene by consuming the ship, as the ninja and samurai fled to safety under a nearby rock. They could only watch in horror as the snake snapped their home into splinters before their eyes before retreating underground.

As the Devourer moved away, the others began to ponder on what to do. "We have to warn people before that thing gets bigger," Alex stated. "Bigger? BIGGER!? That thing in one bite just crushed our entire ship!" Jay was on a rant. "We have no chance at stopping something that big!"

"Stop it! Is this what Sensei would want? Hiding? Fighting? Giving up? Kai was ticked off at his teammates at this point.

"Well... he's not here anymore." Lloyd voiced the thought on everyone's mind as they all looked down in silence.

After the small moment, Kai continued his point, "But his teachings live on. We can't just back down and give up after all we've been through. Ninja never quit, they always pick themselves up when they're down, which is what Sensei Wu would want us to do right now."

"But how are we going to stop that thing? We have no dragons, no Sacred Flute, and weapons that are COMPLETELY useless in stopping that thing!" Jay's point just made Alex even more pissed, "As annoying and childish as you're acting right now, you do have a point. How do we stop something that big?"

Kai thought for a moment before coming to a realization, "We use an idea that's even bigger! Jay you're a genius!" He began to run off, "I'll explain later, but now, we have a snake to destroy."

Alex and Cole followed Kai, along with the others, to a dump in the middle of nowhere. She turned to Cole, "So Kai finds inspiration in junk?" He thought for a minute, "Well... we can find something in this dump. You see, this is where Jay's family lives."

"Oh." Alex didn't know what to think, but she didn't judge, considering her own origins. "So are his parents nice or..." Cole looked to her as he opened the hatch of the Tread Assault, "Well think of it this way. This is where Jay developed his ability to constantly talk for days on end. So... I think you're smart enough to figure out the rest."

Alex shrugged. After dealing with an ancient serpent that grew as it consumed, she believed that talkative parents were the least of her worries.

Jay went to the door of a trailer that Alex assumed to be his parents' home, but there was no reply.

"Good," Kai said, "Better for us." He walked up to the hood of a broken car and laid down a blueprint of an awesome looking vehicle. "There should be enough spare parts to build this thing, and with Zane's recording of the flute this plan should be perfect, but we're going to need our biggest Tornado of Creation yet. It'll be dangerous, so thankfully there's no one around." As if on cue, a postman on a bicycle appeared at the entrance. "Great, what's this guy even doing here?" Alex asked as Kai and Jay went to talk to the guy.

She managed to overhear something about a "Take Back Ninjago Rally" but her train of thought was interrupted as she spotted something on the horizon. On closer look, she immediately stood up, "Guys? Might want to look at the problem at eleven o clock."

"It's now or never, guys," Kai yelled. The four stood together, shouting out their element as they started the creation of their tornadoes. Alex could merely stand back with Nya and Lloyd as the tornadoes escalated into a single, huge tornado that swept up the junk in its path. As the Spinjitzu tornado ceased, the three caught their first look at the new Ultra Sonic Raider. A massive and awesome vehicle, it was equipped with a device that amplified Zane's recording of the Sacred Flute, blasting its sound at the Devourer.

The waves barely missed the Devourer, and soon, the vehicle had to dodge as quickly as possible to avoid getting bitten in half by the huge serpent. After another failed attempt at hitting the snake with the flute's sound, grappling hooks emerged on the side of the Raider and latched onto the Devourer, grappling it to the ground.

"Now, Zane!" Kai shouted, and Zane fired the sound waves directly at the snake's face, causing it to reel in pain. As it lowered its head, Alex spotted a small spot on the serpent's head, small, but easy enough to hit. "It's weak spot," she thought aloud, and she quickly grabbed her dagger and ran towards the snake. "Alex don't...!" Zane's call was interrupted as the Devourer's tail pierced the Raider, right where Zane had been sitting.

Alex stopped dead in her tracks, goal forgotten as she rushed to the vehicle to help her comrades as the giant snake slithered away.

"Is everyone ok?" she asked the ninja, "Where's Zane?"

The ninja quickly exited the Raider, but no sooner had Alex spoken was there movement by the damaged part of the vehicle. "I'm here," Zane's voice came out as he emerged from the wreck, undamaged, except for a part of his face that showed of his robotic interior. "That was close."

"Great, well that was a total failure!" Jay was clearly upset.

"No it wasn't," Alex replied calmly, "Didn't you see? That thing has a weak spot on its forehead. If we could just hit that..."

Jay interrupted, "Oh sure I'll make a note of that: giant snake has itty bitty weak spot on its forehead that will be TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO HIT BECAUSE THAT THING IS TO RIDICULOUSLY HUGE TO DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT!"

Nya folded her arms, "Are you done?" Jay breathed deeply before replying, "Yes."

"Good, because things just got worse." Nya pointed to the slithering figure of the Devourer. "It's headed for Ninjago City," Zane remarked.

"But that's where everyone is right now," Alex observed, "And if that thing eats anything in a city that big..."

"There will be no stopping it," Kai finished as they all looked to the disappearing figure of the giant snake.

**Well I'm going to end this here, mainly because this chapter is long enough as it is. The fight scene will occur next chapter, though, and hopefully, it'll be out by tomorrow.**

**Hope you all enjoy this story, your opinions and statements are always appreciated **** I know I enjoyed it, especially for the fact that I wrote all this while not only reviewing the episode, but listening to some awesome ATOT music!**

**On a side note, the poll is up, and I hope you all get a chance to vote on who you want Alex to be with. Until next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

Ch 11

Before they knew it, the team was speeding on their way to Ninjago City, racing against time to prevent the Great Devourer from consuming anything else and becoming an unstoppable force.

Alex was riding in the Ultra Sonic Raider with the guys, while Nya and Lloyd followed closely behind in the Samurai Mech. She was currently sitting in front of Zane, turning around to try and inspect the damage done to his face. "So," she stated as she helped him clean his optics, "you're a robot. What's that like?"

"At first, the thought was too much to bear," Zane replied, "but with the help of my brothers I came to accept this for who I was. And surprisingly, I've overcome this obstacle and have used this knowledge to my advantage many times."

Alex nodded as she started on the final touches on his machinery, inspecting for any damages that could possibly glitch later.

"Do you find it strange?" Alex looked up from working as she thought about his question, "You mean the fact that you're a nindroid?" Zane nodded.

"Not really. I mean I'd find it stranger if it was me coming to terms with it, but this is you. Sure there are some limits when you're a machine, but I think that just makes you more unique. The whole idea seems kind of odd, yes, but now that I know it for a fact, it's not too bad. I mean you're still our friend, no matter what."

Zane smiled softly and nodded, "I suppose so."

After a few minutes of silence, besides some quiet discussion between the others on what they needed to be prepared for, Alex finally looked up, "Ok, there seem to be no problems. Only thing we need to take care of is finding you a face part, but I think we can wait on that. You'll be able to see just as fine, though."

"Thank you," Zane looked to her, "You really are a true friend." He grabbed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze, "You just need to stop charging into battle on your own accord."

Alex rolled her eyes and smiled, "I had a perfectly good reason. Its weak spot was out in the open!"

Zane shook his head in slight exasperation, "Just be careful."

By the time they had finally reached the city, the ninja could already hear cries of panic coming from the center of town. The team quickly speeded to the affected area, where they spotted the Devourer poised to strike over an elderly couple in a junky looking car.

"Mom! Dad!" Jay quickly leaped out of the Raider and used his lightning power to defend his parents. This stunned the snake, rearing it away from Jay and his family and directing it back.

It began to slither towards the civilians, but Kai managed to intercept the snake with his fire powers. It writhed in pain, lifting its tail in retaliation, but was halted by Cole, who threw a nearby news van directly at the serpent's face. Disoriented, the snake again lunged with its razor sharp tail, but using his ice powers, Zane managed to freeze it in its path, narrowly missing the group.

Despite these attacks, the snake only seemed more agitated, roaring at the ninja with pure hatred glistening in its slitted eyes. It lunged at the ninja, biting deeply into the ground where they had just stood only seconds ago. Before it could lunge, the Samurai Mech came out of nowhere to hold the beast's jaws out using a nearby light pole. "Ugh, its breath tastes worse than Cole's chili." Lloyd's comment emitted a small chuckle from Alex, while Cole looked scandalous, "Hey!"

As the beast tried to bite down on the pole, it was clear that Nya and Lloyd were stuck. But before they two were made into snake food, a four headed dragon appeared out of the blue and began to attack the Devourer. "Our dragons are back!" Cole exclaimed, and the four and Alex looked up in wonder at their four headed friend, who circled the serpent, launching volleys of elemental projectiles at the beast. As the Devourer reeled in pain, the Samurai suit fell out, and was landed on the ground safely by the dragon.

As the Devourer was repeatedly volleyed by the Ultra Dragon, Alex believed that they could actually win this. And when the snake finally began to turn away, the ninja jumped up ecstatically. "We did it! It's fleeing!" Kai exclaimed.

It was believed to be over as the dragon circled by their masters, but soon the ground erupted and a spiked scaly tail struck down the dragon mid-flight. The ninja immediately ran towards their fallen comrade, while the snake slithered towards the frightened civilians still in the city.

It seemed over until Lloyd turned around to a familiar figure, "You came back!"

Garmadon was standing a short distance away, looking determined. "Give me the Golden Weapons. Only I can possess all four of them at once. This is the only way we can defeat the Devourer."

"Uh, I thought we were supposed to do everything in our power NOT to have him possess the weapons," Jay's point was true, but what choice did they have?

"I say give him the weapons. It's ours and Ninjago's only hope at this point," Alex turned to her team for their support. As hesitant as they looked, they knew this was the only way to do the right thing. "When you have the chance, deliver the blow. Its weak spot is on its forehead," Kai instructed Garmadon as he tossed him his fire sword.

Garmadon had never looked so happy since Alex had first met him, "I'll do my part; just make sure that thing stays in one place." And with that, the dark lord cackled an evil laugh and ran off with the weapons in hand.

"Stay in one spot?! How are we supposed to do that?!" Jay asked.

"Don't forget," Kai stated, "We're ninja."

Alex prepared the Ultra Dragon, waiting for the signal to pick up the others while they formulated their distraction. She had never rode a dragon, so the idea was kind of scary, but the dragon (dragons?) seemed to understand and guided the reigns to try to teach her, calming her a bit.

As she saw the signal, Alex lifted off, pulling the reigns upward. The feeling of flying was amazing; wind at her back, the world below; she had never felt so free in her life. Alex laughed as she embraced the wind, and guided the dragon to where Kai was waiting.

"Nice job, you can give me the reigns now," Kai reached for the reigns, but Alex shook her head, smiling. "No way I'm giving these back now, so I'm afraid you have to deal with it." Before Kai could reply, she tugged the reigns, and Kai had to quickly sit down as the dragon soared off stealthily to retrieve Cole. "Have you ever been told that you're really stubborn?" Kai asked as he sat beside Alex. "Not that I know of," she retorted as she led the dragon down, where Cole was waiting.

"About time, where were you guys?" Cole asked. "Alex doesn't want to give up the reigns," Kai replied, chuckling. "Hey, you guys get to ride dragons all the time, so give me a break this time." This caused the two boys to crack up, as Alex flew upwards, where she saw two familiar figures falling through the air.

Picking them up with ease, Alex circled the Ultra Dragon around the Devourer. "Think it's working?" she asked Kai. He looked down, "Only one way to find out."

The plan had been to lead the Devourer in a knot around a city block, eventually leading it back to its tail, rendering the creature stuck in place. The ninja cheered as they looked down to see the snake stuck in place. Alex let out a whoop as she landed the dragon on a nearby roof, where Nya and Lloyd were waiting for them. "Great dragon skills," Nya commented as Alex jumped down, to which the latter replied with a bow. Now they only had to wait on Garmadon's part of the deal.

Suddenly the sky darkened, and from the top of a building adjacent to the Devourer's weak spot, Garmadon was holding the four weapons, poised to strike. With a final flash of dark light, the dark lord jumped down, and pierced the snake that had been the cause of his evil ways in its weak point.

Immediately, a wave of green goo erupted from the serpent, cloaking everything in Ninjago City, including the ninja. Though the flood was quick, Alex had to wipe the Devourer goop from her Green Ninja outfit as she looked down at the city with her comrades in triumph. _We did it!_

The team walked around the city, inspecting the damage. Jay was able to reunite with his parents and Cole with his dragon Rocky, but there was someone missing from the crowd of people.

"Where's my dad?" Lloyd asked, and the group looked around. "If he's not here, that means our Golden Weapons are gone!" Cole exclaimed, "Well isn't that convenient?"

But Alex was too distracted by another face to be worried about Garmadon, "Sensei Wu!"

Sure enough, the old teacher was there, standing up to wipe off the green goop on his hat. "He survived!" Jay exclaimed as the team jumped down and ran towards their Sensei. But the old man walked past them to first greet his faithful tea pot, pouring himself a cup. "Much better," he stated smiling.

The others gathered around Wu happily. Lloyd looked up, "It's great to have you back, uncle. But my father took the Golden Weapons!"

Sensei placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder, "True, the ability of the weapons is great, but the ability to better one's self is limitless." Jay smiled, "Couldn't have said it better."

"Don't forget, we still have our Green Ninja to defend us when the time comes," Kai patted Alex on the back. She smiled, "Yea, but that time will come later, for now, I think it's time to rest and rebuild, and prepare for a new day."

Sensei smiled, "The one who was once lost and confused, has been found again, stronger and wiser than before. You are right, my dear. The time will come, but I believe with all of my heart that you are already on your way to becoming a true master."

**The Devourer is gone, the ninja are triumphant (for now) and Sensei has his tea! The world is at peace **

**Thank you to those who have followed this story so far, the next chapters for the next season will be out sometime, so be on the lookout.**

**The poll for who you want Alex with is up, so vote now, because I need the info in a few days so I can apply it to the story.**

**Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

Ch 12

Reuniting with their Sensei would have to wait, as the group realized that Ninjago City still had a long way to go from being back to normal. The city was covered in Devourer goo, and there wasn't a single area that hadn't been destroyed somehow by the ancient serpent. Alex could tell that she and the others' work wasn't close to being done, so they all responded with a quick reunion before rolling up their sleeves and beginning to work.

As the citizens and ninja began to organize themselves and get to the task of restoring the city, Alex looked back on the events that had occurred throughout that day. First they had possessed the Fang Blades, sure of their plan to throw them into Torchfire Mountain; then Pythor had stolen them back, leaving the ninja to die as he continued his goal to awaken the Great Devourer. After pursuing Pythor and the Serpentine to Ouroborous, they had failed to stop the Anacondrai from unleashing the ancient beast, which proceeded to swallow Sensei Wu and the general whole. The team from there had to avoid the serpent from devouring them, stop it from destroying Ninjago, and distract it while their arch enemy took their Golden Weapons to kill the snake once and for all.

There had been losses, reunions, and hope building inside each and every one of the team, as they prepared for what the future had in store. Alex felt that the experience had changed them all in a way, especially her and Lloyd, the latter having to deal with his father being a hero and a thief that would face his doom at the former's hands. Alex felt terrible for the fact that she would have to fight her friend's father, who she felt no grudge against unlike the others. She felt as though she understood Garmadon's pain; he was forced to be evil due to the Devourer venom, thus he could never truly feel united alongside his brother and son. Whether he enjoyed the evil at times or not, Alex wasn't sure, but she could still see genuine pain in the dark lord's eyes at the mention of his family. It was similar to how she felt about not knowing her family, and having to stick her neck out for those who chose not to follow themselves: frustrating.

Despite all that, Alex knew she had to accept that not everything that happens is supposed to be to one's liking, which is why despite all of the confusion this venture had caused, she had accepted her destiny to aid others and she quickly grew accustomed to being the Green Ninja.

With that on her mind, Alex began to help clean up the streets of green Devourer goop.

Though they had not worked long due to fading sunlight, the people had made good progress, as the streets were now clean and free of traces of the giant serpent. It truly was amazing how much one could accomplish when united with others.

The team met up for dinner at a nearby restaurant, which had offered the group a free meal as thanks for their efforts. Once bellies were filled, the topic that had been wringing inside of them was up for suggestions: where the group would sleep.

"With the _Bounty_ gone, we have nowhere to sleep, and with this city restoration business, we're going to be here a while," Kai stated.

"Well, we could go live with Jay's parents for now," Nya suggested.

"No no NO!" Jay exclaimed, "I love my family and all, but I can't be expected to spend a few days with them! They can get really chatty and REALLY embarrassing!"

"With all they've preached about you openly to us, what's left to figure out?" Cole's comment got a laugh out of the group, while Jay just rolled his eyes and shook his head, "I don't care! We are NOT staying with my parents!"

"Patience, my students," Sensei interrupted, "I have already spoken to the City Council. They have agreed to offer board for us while the city is under repair, as thanks for our efforts and bravery. However, once the city is restored, we will discuss the issue of finding our own replacement home."

This silenced the ninja for a little bit, before they accepted the offer. They would worry about their replacement home later.

After they thanked the restaurant owners, the group walked down a few blocks to their rooms at the Golden Dragon hotel, where they were given a set of rooms on the top floor. The rooms were divided as such: Sensei and Lloyd in one room, with Kai and Jay adjacent to them; and Nya and Alex across the hall, with Zane and Cole adjacent.

The team bid each other goodnight as they headed into the nicely furnished room for some well earned rest. The two girls agreed to take turns in the bathroom, so Alex lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling while contemplating the situation, waiting for Nya freshened up.

"It's been a long tiring day, hasn't it?" Nya asked from the bathroom. Alex agreed, "We defeated a giant snake, lost and found Sensei Wu, had the Golden Weapons taken, and worked on the repairing of the city. Tiring is a little weak compared to how I'm feeling right now."

Nya laughed, "Yea, my body feels really stiff and sore from all of that excitement. Plus I smell like the Devourer right now." "Like Cole's chili," Alex laughed with Nya as they looked back on Lloyd's comment on the Devourer's breath. "Poor Cole," Nya stated, "But his cooking is seriously terrible." Alex laughed, but quickly went to the door to check if Cole had heard their conversation. Considering the loud snoring from inside, he had not.

After Nya came out, Alex went into the bathroom to wash up. As she fixed up her hair, Alex spoke to Nya, "So are Jay's parents as bad as he says; you know, with sharing his personal information?" Nya giggled, "They're really sweet people, but you can tell they're not embarrassed to start talking about Jay. I feel bad about him being flustered about the stories, but that one story about him kissing a pillow was pretty funny." Alex laughed at this, "Seriously?" "Yea," Nya replied as the two shared a few giggles over the idea of Jay's old habit.

"But over all, I do like Jay for who he is. Sure he can be a bit chatty and weird, but he strives to make me happy and I hope I do the same for him." Alex smiled at Nya's statement, "With the way he looks at you, I think you're doing the right thing." Alex finished up at this point and walked out to her bed, looking to a blushing Nya, who responded with, "You really think so?"

Alex smiled and sat on the bed facing her, "I know so. I may not be an expert in the love field, but the way you two act, I can tell you are going to be a great couple." Nya smiled, "Thanks Alex, you're a great friend." Alex held up her hand, "No problem." The two shook hands, and then spent the next few minutes giggling and coming up with secret handshakes.

After glancing at the clock, which read 12:00 AM, the two decided to get some rest. "Goodnight," Alex said to Nya as she pulled up the covers. "Goodnight Alex, and thanks again. I hope that soon you'll be fortunate enough to have a nice relationship too."

Alex pondered that thought as she lay in bed. She had never considered having a boyfriend in her own world, and the idea never crossed here in Ninjago, what with the Green Ninja revelation and all. But the idea seemed out of reach; as much as the idea of having someone to be there for her made her hopeful, Alex felt as though it would take a lot longer for someone to get used to her as a girlfriend than as a friend, especially with all of her troubles and confusion.

Holding onto that thought, Alex drifted off to sleep.

However, her darkest thoughts had different ideas.

Alex found herself back in the past, facing the man who was the cause of her consistent fear. "Still think you can take me on now, my dear? Well I'm sorry to say that your little rebellion game won't be sticking long once we're finished with you." With a sadistic grin, he gestured to the floor, where cracks began to open under her feet, swallowing her into an abyss that landed her in a dark room.

Alex agonizingly waited there for what felt like forever, until familiar faces came from the darkness; the blackened masks of those who tortured her were now looking down on her, holding millions of blades in their hands, waiting to pry her open. Cruel laughter played around the room as Alex screamed, feeling as though her body was being ripped apart piece by piece.

A voice sounded from far away, "You will be... final... save them... key... Alexandra..."

The voice screamed her name as Alex yelled in agony as the knife by her face descended on where her scar was.

With a final gasp, Alex sat up in the bed, covered in sweat and tears. She quickly glanced around the room to confirm that the events had all been a dream. Nya was still asleep, and the clock read 2:36 AM, meaning the poor girl had only had a couple hours of peace before that disaster.

Wiping away tears and sweat, Alex grabbed a robe and went to the balcony to clear her mind. Down below, the city was glowing with lights, and while few people were out, the place still seemed bustling with action. Up above, a full moon was shining with a calm light onto the city, the only light standing out in the midst of a darkness that reminded Alex of the darkness of her dream, where the masked people had tortured her beyond reason. She shivered out of fear at the thought.

"Alex? What are you doing?" Alex turned to the voice, seeing Cole on the adjacent balcony looking at her in concern. "Oh, I... just needed some fresh air. It's all good." Cole didn't seem convinced at this remark and began to climb over to her balcony.

"Cole, what in the world are you doing?" Alex gaped as the black ninja leaped the gap between the decks and walked over to her. "There's something on your mind, Alex, and I want to know what. Nya and Zane may have not heard your screaming, but I did."

Alex looked to him, "You heard? But..."

"I couldn't sleep, so I was getting a snack from the lobby when I heard you yelling inside of your room. So I went back inside my room to see if you'd come out, and sure enough, you did."

Alex looked away from him, "It was just a nightmare, Cole. Thanks for the concern, but I can handle it." He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, "After you told us about your past, I think this is more than just a simple nightmare." He grabbed two chairs and sat her down. "Now tell me what happened."

Alex sighed and began to relay the dream to him. Cole was attentive to every word that Alex said, and when she began to tear slightly, he even wiped the tear away. "Do you think this dream was a part of your past?" he asked. Alex nodded, "Well, it's a past I know, with the people and torture, but the voice was new. I think it may be someone I knew before the amnesia."

"Have you ever tried to regain your memories?" Alex thought about Cole's question, and nodded. "A couple of times, as a way to repay debt, I asked some doctors for advice, but they said the memories couldn't be regained through simple therapy. This kind of amnesia pushes deep down, and can usually never be regained."

Cole looked to her, "But if you're remembering this voice, it may show that you could be starting to regain the memories." He stood up and helped her onto her feet, "I think only time will tell in this case, but I promise I'll help you in any way I can with this. And I'm sure the others will be willing to help, too."

Alex hesitated, but nodded. "If it gets out of hand, I'll tell them. But for now, this is between you and me, ok?" Cole looked a bit annoyed, but agreed.

The two stood in silence for a minute, before Cole grabbed her hand softly. "C'mon, let's get you to bed."

He took Alex back inside, and sat on her bed waiting for her to fall asleep. When she finally did, Cole lingered for a few moments looking towards her before heading back to his room.

**Awww :) Cole's such a gentleman, but unfortunately, that doesn't help in improving his cooking.**

**Hope this was enough of a hint towards who Alex is. I added this filler because 1) There's no way Ninjago was rebuilt in like 5 seconds, and then the ninja had to find a home after all of that 2) After the poll results were in, I had to add the fluff between Alex and Cole**

**Next chapter will be based on Darkness Shall Rise, I think...**


	14. Chapter 14

Ch 13

After a few days of constant working (and more nightmares), Alex and the boys had finally finished repairing Ninjago City. As fulfilling as it was, the ninja now had to worry about finding a place to live, and Kai wasn't making things any easier.

"Ugh this is frustrating!" he groaned angrily as the group was working on setting a pole in place. "Our weapons are gone; most of our elemental powers are gone. I mean we can still use our Spinjitzu, but I just feel so... limited." He tried to shoot a fireball from his hand, but only produced a small spark.

Zane looked up from where he had finished welding the pole in place, "No one said being a hero is easy. Though we may not be wealthy, we are rich in other ways."

Kai still maintained his grumpy look, "Yea, well I don't feel rich."

Surprisingly, Jay wasn't complaining about the situation. "I've always wanted to feel like part of the community," he smiled as he threw away some trash, "Speaking of which, has anyone seen Nya? She said she was going to help."

"I sure have!" A cheery voice sounded as Nya and Sensei drove up to the group in a small motorbike with a side cart. "I may have found us a place to live."

"Nice job, Nya," Alex said, "But how did you find a place? There's gotta be a pretty long waiting list to live here."

"I know a guy who knows a girl, and she knows this girl who knows a guy. Well this guy knows a real estate agent who can help you find a place."

"Yea, but where are you guys off to?" Jay asked.

"We have to find a couple of components to fix the Ninja Tank, and the dragon ointment has finally arrived," Sensei explained, "It's a day's trip, but once we get back, he'll be flying once again. Also, I love scenic rides," Sensei chuckled childishly, "Punch it Nya."

"Aye aye Sensei!" Nya responded, and soon the two were off.

"This is great! Once we find a place to stay, we can begin training Alex." Jay exclaimed.

This news brought Alex out of her sleepy stupor and planted an excited smile on her face. These past few days had been grueling, with work in the day and more torturing nightmares in the dark. She luckily never disturbed the others after Cole's visit, but still woke up with sweat and terrible visions of what had occurred. Now with a new home, she could finally live up to her potential as a ninja.

Scratch that. With the current option Patty Keys had been showing the group, Alex was surprised that they all managed to fit in the tiny space.

"This lovely one bedroom one half bath is a cozy dream," the real estate agent bubbled, "Who needs extras when everything is in arm's reach? Now wait until you see the lighting!" She flipped a switch that caused a small bulb hanging from the ceiling to flicker before going out and falling to the ground.

"Umm well who needs lights when you have this view?" Patty lifted the blinds on a solitary window that merely revealed the concrete wall of the next door building.

Lloyd looked around, "Umm why do I smell old people?"

The agent turned to him, "Look kid I'm trying to work around your budget! This is all you can afford!"

Alex sighed, "Well I guess this looks... promising."

"Right. Remember guys; Sensei told us our main objective is to train Alex," Cole added, "If this is all we can afford, this is all we can afford."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Let's not rush into any decisions!" Jay interrupted, "If this is about Alex, then shouldn't we be somewhere that will make her training easier?"

In this case, Alex found herself siding with Jay. As much as she didn't want to push the idea of a better living style, she really wanted to have the chance to train and be out with the others on missions. Not to mention, she did want some privacy.

Kai also agreed with Jay, and before Zane could interject, Jay turned to the realtor. "We're only thinking about our friend here and the kid." Patty smiled, "I do have one apartment that you'll just love!"

In just a short drive, Alex found herself in a stunning suite that seemed to measure all of her needs in just one look. And she wasn't the only one that was amazed.

"Now this is the eight bedroom hero suite, floor to ceiling windows, digital wall television, state of the art game console..."

"This seems a little out of our price range," Cole interjected over the agent's pitch.

"Oh sure it costs a little more, but you deserve it! I forgot to mention, there's also the dragon keep on the roof," Patty pointed out.

"Hey, maybe we can get a hero's discount, after all we are the ninja who saved the city," Jay butted in.

"I thought Lord Garmadon saved the city," the realtor said.

Jay looked upset at this misconception, but soon Kai chimed in, "We can get day jobs for the extra expenses."

Zane agreed, "We always said we needed the extra responsibility."

Alex nodded, "Just one problem: not only do you have Lloyd to worry about, but who's going to train me?"

That's when the agent sealed the deal, "Did I mention the indoor training facility?"

And with that, the ninja found their new home.

When Alex got done with a quick workout, she walked out to find the ninja leaving. "Whoa, where are you guys going?"

Cole turned to her, "The only way we're keeping this place is with jobs, so we're going out to find work."

"I remember that, but I did offer to help you guys with the pay. I can go out to find a job too."

Zane ushered the others out the door before walking up to Alex. "You need to train more than anything; a job will only slow you down. Plus it hasn't gone unnoticed that you are lacking sleep."

Alex wanted to retort, but couldn't object to the nindroid's reasoning. "All the same, I wanted to help out."

Zane shook his head, "Just concentrate on your training; don't worry about us. If anything, worry about yourself. And if you need someone to vent to about this sleeping problem, you can ask me for help."

Alex gave a small smile, "Thanks Zane. Now you better get going."

He nodded and waved as he ran out the door, leaving the house to her and Lloyd.

"So... wanna play me in video games?" Lloyd asked Alex.

She looked to the young boy and smiled, "After my training, kiddo."

And the days worked themselves out similarly, at least for Alex. She would train, play with Lloyd, train, eat, and train. But despite the training course, she felt as though she wasn't learning anything useful. Alex knew she needed guidance, but she didn't dare to ask the ninja.

Every day of work, the four became more and more tired and worn out. Each day, the money jar donations were less, and the jar itself didn't fill like it had the first couple days. However at this rate, Alex was more concerned for her friends' wellbeing.

She walked in on the boys today as they were planning overtime shifts for them to make rent tomorrow. "Work again huh? Well what about us?"

Cole looked to her from where he was icing, "You could be a great help by fetching more ice for my feet."

She sighed and refilled his ice, and was about to leave for more training when Cole stopped her. "I'm sorry we can't be there to train you, but I promise that once we make rent that we'll help train you, ok?"

She gave a small smirk, "Deal. Now you guys better leave soon. And don't worry about me and Lloyd. I'm sure we'll be fine."

**Another long chapter, mostly long due to what I had to look up for this episode. The next part of the chapter will be to conclude the episode, so bear with me on this.**

**Thank you so much for giving this story a chance, check out my other story if you want, and I'll see you guys next update **


	15. Chapter 15

Ch 14

After some intense (yet seemingly useless) training the next day, Alex went to the kitchen to grab a drink. As she took a swig, she noticed Lloyd in the living room, playing video games.

"Shouldn't the guys be back for lunch by now?" she asked Lloyd. He looked to her, "Well they did say they were aiming for overtime, so I'm guessing that means no lunch break."

She pondered over this news, "But they'll be starving for the rest of the day. Seems like a dumb thing to do for extra pay. Did they take lunches?"

Lloyd shook his head, "Too busy discussing the whole 'plan.'"

Alex sighed; boys will be boys. But right now, she had to be concerned with the whole skipping lunch thing. After she had seen how her friends had looked these past few days, there was no way they'd survive without some kind of food.

Sighing again, she went into the cupboard, grabbed the necessary ingredients for sandwiches, and began to prepare lunch.

When she finished, she grabbed a plate and a sandwich, which she gave to Lloyd, and packed the others in a paper bag. "Lloyd, I'm going to go give the guys their lunches, so be careful while I'm gone. Got it?"

Lloyd got off of the couch to grab his sandwich, "I will, but come back safe, ok?" He went over to Alex and held her in a friendly hug. She smiled at this; she and Lloyd had really been bonding over these past few days, growing as close as brother and sister. The only downside was that she would be the one to face his father. "Of course. See you soon."

On that note, she walked out into the elevator and headed to the ground floor. Though it would be cool to ride the dragon, he was still recovering from his injuries, plus Alex didn't want civilian panic on her side. Besides, a walk wouldn't hurt too much.

After exiting the building, Alex headed off to find the boys, pondering on who she should go to first. She went to Jay's work, but the manager said he was out, so she had to leave the sandwich with the surly man. Zane was busy with lunch rush, so she'd go there last. When she asked for Kai, the person there had given her a stern lecture on not disturbing the employees, and after some sharp words were exchanged, Alex left in a huff. That left her with only Cole to go to first, so she headed for the bank downtown.

As she reached the bank, she noticed the black ninja leaning against the front of the building, a peaceful look on his face as he was dozing. Smirking, she slowly moved to the right side of his body, and leaned in to his ear. "STOP DOZING BROOKSTONE AND GET TO WORK!" This yell awakened a startled Cole abruptly, causing him to trip over himself as he tried to arrange himself. But once he heard Alex's laughing, he immediately stopped everything and looked to her. "What the heck? You really freaked me out Alex! That's not funny!" Cole retorted. Alex stopped to catch her breath before replying, "Well I think it was hilarious, my friend. I think that just earned you your sandwich."

She handed the homemade sandwich to Cole, who gladly accepted the meal and began to eat. "Thanks and all, but that seriously wasn't funny. You scared me!" he sternly told Alex, but with the gleam in his eye, she believed the meal made up for the scare. "Well I noticed that you guys decided to put food aside for the overtime shift, so I decided to step in."

He smiled, "Guess we forgot. Thanks Alex. By the way, how have you been coping? Any more nightmares?"

She sighed at his remark; she somehow knew he'd bring this up one way or another, "Fine fine."

He frowned, "I don't think that's the case. At this stage, everyone's noticed how tired you are. Have the dreams been the same?"

Alex hesitated, but nodded. Cole nodded back, "Believe me, I may not know what amnesia and nightmares feel like, but I can at least be there to help you out."

"You really look out for your family, don't you?" she asked. Cole chuckled a bit, "Yea. Well they were the only ones who accepted me for me for some time. Until I unlocked my true potential."

This statement confused Alex, but right when she was about to ask, a loud crash and the sound of an alarm came from the bank. "Looks like it's a good thing I woke you up from your beauty rest," Alex stated as she and Cole rushed into the bank. Cole rolled his eyes as the two entered the vault in question, where they found a hole in the ground, and several bags missing. However, they did manage to hear some helpful information from the robbers, who as they escaped, stated, "Let's take the subway."

Cole looked to her, "Subway?"

She had tried to explain to Cole's manager about the situation, but it turned out just being there was an offense to his case at it was. "Sleep in all day tomorrow for all I care, because you're fired!" the manager yelled at Cole as he walked back inside the bank. Alex was just pissed at all of this hostility, "Well screw you too, asshole!"

The whole situation seemed bad for the others too, as Kai and Zane had arrived on the scene with the same dejected look on their faces. Seeing this, Alex decided to cheer them up. "Hey, I thought you guys having jobs was a waste of your talent anyway. Those guys wouldn't know potential if it bitch slapped them with a sack of bricks."

This brought smiles to the guys' faces, and even some laughs. "Yea, I didn't like that job anyway," Cole replied, "But right now, we should go. I overheard the robbers talking about the subway."

"Good call," Zane replied, "Now let's go."

"Ninjago!"

Before they knew it, the ninja had arrived inside the subway system; and just in time, too, as a train was heading their way. The four quickly launched and landed on top of the moving car, regaining their balance before crawling carefully across the roof.

"Isn't there an easier way to get inside?" Cole yelled at the other three.

"Not without a ticket," Kai yelled back. No sooner did he state this, however, that a hole appeared under the red ninja, and a pair of hands pulled him inside.

"What the..? Guess Kai just found the entrance," Alex pointed out.

"Well then, ladies and nindroids first?" Cole asked. The other two ninja exchanged a look as Alex rolled her eyes. But nonetheless, she jumped into the train car, followed by Zane and Cole.

As they landed inside, they found none other than the Serpentine generals; Skalidor, Acidicus, and Fangtom. Before Alex could wonder where the fourth general was, the Venomari general launched his venom at the group. Quickly, Cole pulled Alex away from the blast and Zane used himself to shield the venom from the two.

"It's ok. Venom can't hurt..." Zane was cut off by Fangtom, who decided to whack the nindroid with his staff. The ninja of ice stood up to recover from the hit. "But that does sting a little."

The three began to fight off two of the generals, while Kai was still being held by the Constrictai general. "This was a lot easier when we had our weapons!" Kai interjected as Zane was taken down by Acidicus, and Cole and Alex dodged a blow from the Fangpyre leader. "Welcome to my world!" Alex retorted as she landed a blow with her dagger on the general. But after backing away, he merely grinned as Alex found herself wrapped up in Skalidor's tail.

Cole began to take over in the fight, "You won't get away with this," he told Fangtom as he knocked him into the side of the train.

"Get avay? Ve aren't trying to get avay. Ve're just trying to dissstract you long enough, sso that Sskales can kidnap Lloyd," the Serpentine replied.

_Damn it! I just HAD to leave him behind!_ Alex cursed herself as she managed to get a hold of her dagger and cut Skalidor's tail. With a pained cry, he let go of her, and she quickly made her way to Acidicus, punching him hard in his scaly face. His distraction with her allowed Zane to get back into the fight.

As Kai complained for a weapon, Zane managed to use his surroundings to make his own weapons, and soon, the generals could do nothing against the blows that the group dealt. Alex even went as far as to spit in Acidicus' eyes, retorting with, "Now how does it feel to have someone spit in YOUR face? Pain in the ass, isn't it?"

After finally managing to show some fight against the Serpentine, the group, however, was distracted by something else.

The bright side was that they managed to find Jay. On the downside, he happened to be on a collision course with their train.

They left Kai behind to watch the generals, and quickly made their way to the front of the train to warn the driver, but to no avail, as the train appeared to be automatically controlled.

Zane quickly pulled on the brake lever to stop the train, but it wouldn't budge. Even with the applied help of Alex and Cole, the three weren't strong enough to pull the brake.

It was the arrival of Kai that allowed the four to work together, pulling as hard as they could. And just in time, too, as the train ended up coming to a halt inches in front of a relieved looking Jay.

"There you guys are, haha. So do you think you can help me out here?"

Once Jay was untied, the five rushed home to save Lloyd, but as they entered the building, they found no sign of the young boy.

"I should never have left," Alex looked down, upset. Cole gave her a reassuring pat on the back, "It's our fault, too. We should have been here training you and helping you watch him, not working at some silly job. This is by far our greatest loss."

"But it could be your greatest lesson." The ninja turned to find Sensei Wu, Nya, and...

"Lloyd!"

They ran up to him happily, and Alex even went to embrace the young boy, who gratefully hugged her back. "I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Sensei and Nya showing up at the last moment."

Nya shook her head, "I go away for a bit and this is what happens?"

"Well at least we know we don't need any fancy stuff; what we need is each other," Kai wisely stated.

"Here, here," Alex agreed, "Now, let's get out of all this fancy air, shall we?"

Before they knew it, the ninja had moved into the small but humble apartment. Alex couldn't help but feel that with this place, everything did seem right; with the boys laughing and arguing, Sensei's words of wisdom, and some needed training on the way, the place was truly meant to be their home, since it brought them together in new ways.

"Now don't tell me these sandwiches I personally made for you are going to waste!"


	16. Chapter 16

Ch 15

Alex knew it was wrong to complain, but the cramped space didn't make her sleeping situation any better. The last thing she needed was to prevent the others from getting some sleep with her nightmares. So once the others were asleep, she quietly crept out the door, carrying her pillow and blanket, and headed for the roof.

Outside, the sky was clear, revealing a dark sky filled with glittering stars. Alex could hear the sounds of the city below, ranging from random car horns to brakes squealing against the road. Not very soothing, but she found it better than nothing.

She walked over to plant her stuff near the Ultra Dragon, who was currently resting after an eventful day. Now that it was finally beginning to heal, Alex was excited for when she'd have the chance to fly him again. But for now, she just sat next to the creature and began to pet one of its heads.

The dragon opened a glazed eye to look at her, before lightening up and nuzzling its head into her torso. "Hey there, all better now?" she asked her new friend. The dragon head playfully head butted her in understanding. Alex smiled, "You're... Rocky right? Cole's old dragon?" The head looked even more elated at her question, so she assumed she was correct. During all of this, the other heads awoke and began to show their own sense of adoration to the Green Ninja. Alex couldn't help but laugh as the four heads tickled and nuzzled her, vying for attention, and she returned their sweetness with some smooth caresses and scratching.

"Looks like someone has a true knack for animals." Alex whipped her head around to see Zane observing her. "Yea, who knew?" she responded, knowing where this conversation was headed.

"Why are you out here when you should be sleeping inside with us?" Zane inquired, looking at Alex questioningly. "It's really none of your business," Alex muttered.

"I think it is my business if I know something is not right with my family." Zane sat next to her and began to pet the head of his dragon, Shard.

Alex looked down at her hands, confused about Zane's remark. "You really believe that I'm now a part of your family?"

Zane looked to her, "Of course. You're one of us now. Anything that happened before you knew us is technically irrelevant. We'd still be there for you no matter what." He took Alex's hand, "And as your brother, I need to know what is bothering you so that I may help you." Alex smiled slightly at the word brother; she had never had one before, at least to her current knowledge, and the idea of Zane being her brother made everything easier.

"It's just... lately I've been having these nightmares about my past, but now they seem to show parts of my life I never even knew about. In each dream, I hear this voice trying to tell me something, but by then I usually wake up." Zane nodded for her to proceed. "But the thing is, I think I know who this person is; it's like on the tip of my tongue when I hear it, but by the time I believe I've figured it out, I stumble back into reality. It's confusing, Zane, and a little annoying."

As she finished venting, Alex looked down at the ground, but Zane grabbed her face and lifted it up to level with his. "I know how frustrating it is to feel like you don't know who you are. I experienced that feeling most of my life, until the day I found the lab where I had been built. The emotions I gained from that were too much at first, but I soon realized that I was meant to be a ninja, and have my own family, as well as protect those in need."

He smiled softly, "I know it may seem upsetting now, but I can guarantee that you have about a 57.843% chance of regaining the truth. And though the process to understand may seem unpleasant, we will all be there to help you."

Alex laughed dryly, "So I get exact odds on the probability of regaining my memory, huh? Well, not exactly the worst news I've had. But thanks, Zane. I'm proud to call you my brother."

Zane nodded and gave Alex a brotherly hug, "And I am proud to call you my sister, Alexandra."

"Hey! Don't call me that!" Alex teased. Zane merely shrugged and chuckled, "So are you just going to sleep out here?"

"Yea. The fresh air seems more calming, plus I don't want to wake you guys up." Zane nodded, "And do you need any company?" Alex shook her head, "You've been working at a stupid job all week, go to bed."

Zane rolled his eyes a bit but agreed and retreated downstairs, leaving Alex to the quiet of the night. Once Zane was gone, she grabbed her sleeping items, set them by the dragon, and propped herself up to look out onto the night sky.

It seemed that she would never fall asleep, until Alex found herself falling off of the roof into a string of madness, filled with the horrors of her usual hell.

The dreams went on the same as before, yet this time, she seemed to hear the voice more clearly, and it was calling her name. Alex quickly tried to run towards the direction of the unseen person, but her captors merely dragged her violently away from her intended direction, shoving her into a nearby torture chair where the were ready to probe her with their bladed tools.

Alex screamed herself awake, feeling herself for any signs of blood from the nonexistent cuts. After reassuring herself that there was nothing wrong, she began to lay down again, but before she could close her eyes, she found she had company.

"Figured you were out here, since I woke up to see your bed empty again." Alex rolled her eyes and looked frustratingly to the ninja in front of her.

"You can't just go to bed and leave me alone, can you? Not even after all of the work you've been doing this week?" Alex inquired. Cole just shrugged lightly, "If anything, you're the one who needs more sleep at this rate, not me."

Alex groaned, "You should just go back inside. It's not like I can't handle this myself." Cole shook his head, "You can handle a lot, Alex, but in this case, you need to just let go of what's bothering you. I don't like seeing people close to me struggling like this."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" she asked the ninja. Cole sighed, "With you, I'm not sure. You've had a worst past than all of us combined, so maybe it's just best to try to forget about what's happened."

Alex laughed dryly, "Well half my past is gone already, so mission accomplished there." Cole looked exasperated, "Look, I know you're grumpy and tired, and me being here isn't helping your case apparently, but can't you just accept help for once?"

Alex glared at Cole for a while, but soon found her anger fading away. "Yea, suppose you're right. Well then, since you are obviously as stubborn as me, what shall we do now?"

Cole sat down next to her, "Well for starters, how about we get to know each other more. All I know about you is your troubles."

"True," Alex thought for a moment, "How did you unlock your true potential?"

Cole looked down, "Umm... I... *sigh* well you've seen me dance, right?"

"Yea, and you're pretty good at it, too."

"Well my dad's a big performing artist and all, so he wanted me to follow in his footsteps, and go to this big school and all. But the thing is, I never enjoyed it as much as he wanted me to. I just felt out of place, especially when I failed the Triple Tiger Sashay."

"The what?" Alex inquired.

"It's a really advanced dance move, but anyway, I didn't want to let my dad down and all, but in the end, I ran away. And a little while later, I found Sensei Wu and became a ninja.

"As for my true potential, we found out about a Fang Blade being part of a trophy in a contest, so in order for us to win, we had to go get help from my dad. It was awkward, kind of funny, too, but in the end, my dad found out I lied, and well... him being disappointed in me was the worst feeling.

"So for his sake, we won the Blade Cup fairly, and when I finally realized the importance of not running away from my troubles, I found my true potential."

Alex looked at Cole, "So it really took a lot to finally accept that, didn't it?"

Cole nodded, "You should have seen how we all were before you arrived; all of us were immature, whiny, and oh boy, Kai was the worst." The two laughed at this, since Kai was already pretty hotheaded as it was.

"My turn now though. So what do you like most about your life?" Cole asked Alex.

She pondered for a second, "Well besides being a queen at sarcasm, and being able to learn fast, I guess... I like to explore; see what's beyond the next mountain, or what lies over the ocean. The idea of new places just excites me.

"I also like to read and write; you know, put my ideas down and imagine what can happen. The fact that you can see so much from a book is exciting."

Cole smiled, "Well someone likes an adventurous lifestyle. Good for you though, that's a pretty good trait."

Alex smiled back, "Now my turn: favorite food?"

Cole's eyes widened, "What could be better than cake?! It's better than anything! Chocolate cake, shortcake, cheesecake, you name it!"

Alex laughed at Cole's fascinated expression, "Well to tell you the truth, I've never tried cake. Is it really that good?"

The black ninja looked scandalous, "You've never had cake!? How?! You NEED to try it! Come on, we're going now!"

The Green Ninja laughed even harder at Cole's reaction, to the point where she had to struggle for breath. "Maybe tomorrow, Cole. But for now, I think we should tone it down if we're going to get any sleep tonight."

After some time, Cole finally withered down. "Ok then, but only because you need rest. But I promise you, I will get you to try cake sooner or later!"

Alex giggled a bit before settling down in her blankets, closing her eyes, "So are you going to stay out here or go inside with the others?"

"Well since I'm apparently just as stubborn as you are, I'm probably going to stay out here a bit longer until you fall asleep." Alex sighed softly, but accepted his decision. The black ninja grabbed the blanket and tucked her in a bit more before resting next to Alex with his own blankets. Alex couldn't help but blush at the warmth and stability Cole brought as he lay beside her.

"Goodnight Cole."

"Goodnight Alex."

**Yea... was originally going to start the Pirates vs Ninja thing here, but I got a bit side tracked. Hope this was an enjoyable chapter, the pirates and Brown Ninja shall appear in the next update, and thank you all for reading!**

**Until next time **


	17. Chapter 17

Ch 16

When Alex woke up, the sun was just rising, setting the sky with shining and vibrant reds and oranges. The city was starting to awaken, as the noises of cars and people began to drift up to the Green Ninja's ears, and that wasn't the only thing drifting. Smells of breakfast foods, from sausages to syrup to fresh bread, wafted into Alex's face, making her mouth water.

These sensations distracted Alex from the black ninja lying next to her, looking at her in wonder as he watched her smile at the world around them, and yawn cutely from a long night's sleep. Her hair was messy and her eyes a bit bleary, but there was something about that look that seemed right to Cole. He felt as though he could watch her looking messier than that, as long as she had that sweet smile and her face fully showing, unlike how she always hid half her face with her hair.

"Cole?" The black ninja was driven from his small trance by Alex's voice, "Yea? What is it?"

Alex looked at him puzzled, "Well good morning for starters. Honestly, you'd think you were the one constantly waking up." She laughed slightly and Cole could only roll his eyes and smile, "Good morning to you too. And don't worry; I'll leave insomnia to you."

Alex giggled a bit, "So we should head back down now." Cole nodded, and helped her grab the blankets they had used as they walked to the apartment.

"Cole?" He looked to Alex, "What?"

"Thanks for... well the company. It actually helped me sleep a bit better." Cole looked a bit stunned, but recovered. "You're welcome."

No one had been awake when the two had walked in, and there had been no questions, so the day continued on, only this time, Alex was _finally_ getting some training done. Well... the closest thing you could get to training in a small one bedroom apartment.

She was currently punching Kai's gloved hands, the latter using a pair of oven mits to stifle the blows Alex was dealing.

"Look at that! Fists of Fury!" Lloyd called out as Alex dealt a series of sharp blows to the oven mits.

"Save the gloating," Kai told Lloyd, "When you're in a fight, that could be used against you."

"Oh please, I can face whatever any of you throw at me!" And with that, Lloyd launched a kick at Kai, knocking him to the floor. Alex clapped, "Keep that up, and I could see you fighting with me soon, kid." Lloyd beamed at her, "Really!?"

"Whoa grasshopper," Kai sat up, "You're not even ready to face my pinky toe."

Alex turned to Kai, "He may not be, but I think I could." Kai shrugged and chuckled.

Sensei spoke up from where he was drinking tea, "I see the student has now become the teacher. You will learn fast, Alex, with lessons from the four ninja."

"Great. Now that that lesson's over, how about some target practice. On Kai?

Cole's comment brought a scared look to Kai's face, but Sensei waved the idea off. "You will each get a turn, but now, I think our Green Ninja is due for a lesson with Nya."

"What? But I want to learn how to fully use my Spinjitzu." Alex complained. "Patience," Sensei replied, "Your time will come." She merely sighed and headed out to meet with Nya, before stating, "At least I'm not as whiny as Kai."

She left the room hearing laughter from the three, while Kai was in a sort of denial.

Alex found herself back on the roof with Nya, petting the Ultra Dragon. "Take care of him, because he's yours now," Nya told her, lightening up Alex's mood a bit more. "Mine? That's so cool!"

Nya smiled, "See? Even a samurai like myself can teach you a thing or two." Alex smiled back, "I never doubted in the first place."

After letting the dragon out for some fresh air, Alex was called away by Jay, who after a short talk with Nya (mostly him staring lovingly at her) took her downstairs to meet with the others out on the block.

"It's time we search Ninjago City for a more suitable place to train Alex," Sensei explained to the group.

Of course Jay had to but in and whine, "Oh but Sensei! Ninjago City is huge! It'll take all day to find this place on foot!"

"And without our Golden Weapons, we have no Spinjitzu vehicles," Zane added, "How will we get around town?"

"You'll learn to travel with these." Sensei held out a small coin like disc.

"What are those?" Cole asked.

Alex rolled her eyes, and before Sensei and the others could say anymore, she merely stated, "Two words: bus tokens."

Sure enough, the group soon found themselves on the local bus heading deeper into the city, feeling kind of aggravated at the fact that they had gone down so far from having a home and some awesome modes of transport to living in a small room and riding on a city bus.

The vehicle soon let them off at a spot in downtown, where the group filed out to discover a possible training spot.

Alex looked at the sign, which read "Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo." To her, this shrieked of needy social acceptance, but if it meant somewhere to train, she would accept it.

The group walked into the dojo, and was greeted by the funniest looking man Alex had seen. He wore a brown gi lined with golden apparel, revealing his awkward looking chest hair and had a gold chain wrapped around his neck. His hair was really glossy, to the point where Alex was sure she could see her clear reflection, and he wore a cocky expression as he strode to the ninja.

"Welcome, to Grand Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo," the "sensei" greeted, eyebrow raised. "I am Grand Sensei Dareth, and I "dareth" you to join my dojo." Dareth began to shoot off a series of clunky poses.

Alex felt like laughing at Dareth's façade, and the others also looked likewise, but she managed to contain it, as she knew this may be her only hope for suitable training.

"Face the wall of karate trophies. If you look closely, my name is on all of them," Dareth strode over and looked down at his awards, before turning to the others with his cocky smirk, "That is because I am a highly skilled karate machine."

"Look Dareth," Kai interjected, "We were wondering if we could share your dojo. You see we've been put in charge of training Alex here to become the greatest ninja in all of Ninjago."

Dareth looked to Kai, and then to Alex, "Not possible. For I am the greatest in the land. How many trophies do you have, sweetheart?" The grand sensei walked over to Alex, who did all she could to not punch the guy right there. Taking a deep breath, she replied, "Look, bub, can you cut us some slack here? We are the ones who just saved Ninjago City from the giant snake, you know."

Dareth laughed, "Am I looking at Lord Garmadon? Because unless I'm stupid, and I'm not, Lord Garmadon destroyed the Devourer."

Before any of the ninja could interject, Dareth continued, "I'll let you train here, only on one condition: You can defeat me. If you succeed, we can share the dojo."

The grand sensei jumped up and struck another pose, "That's right. I, Grand Sensei Dareth, master of all animal fighting styles, challenge one of you to a battle." Dareth followed this declaration by showing off his animal poses, which only made the desire to laugh at him stronger for Alex. Luckily, Kai used his Spinjitzu to cut him off and send the brown clad man to the floor.

"You may know animals, but we know Spinjitzu," Kai stood before the sensei.

Dareth got up, "You can train in my dojo for as long as you like."

Alex felt alive as she trained with her friends, glad to finally have the space to spar. She was currently fighting Jay on the poles, light on her feet like he had instructed her, but got down when Cole called her over.

"When you strike with your fists, concentrate. You may be a girl, but you're strong." Cole's words brought a surge of willpower into the Green Ninja, and after concentrating on her target, she leaped up, and chopped the wood blocks and table in half, even causing the ground to crack under the ninja's feet.

"That was the power of the Staff of Quakes, and you did it without the Golden Weapon," Kai stated from where he had been blasted by the tremor. Alex looked down at her hands in shock. _I just did that with only my hands!_

"With this power you must be careful," Sensei wisely stated, "You must control it before it controls you." Alex bowed down and nodded; she wasn't going to let anything control her, not after she had made it this far.

"I have to admit, not bad for a girl," the voice of Dareth brought a sigh to Alex as the man entered the room, "But instead of ten boards, how about fifty?"

Even Sensei was sighing at this attempt as the sensei's students stacked the boards.

"And if I, Grand Sensei Dareth, manage to break these boards, perhaps you can let me join your team and become: The Brown Ninja!" Dareth had fixed up a mask to fit over similarly to the ninja's, and was now posing with it.

The laughter could no longer be contained as everyone began to chuckle at Dareth's newest attempt at gloating. "Sorry pal, club's already full," Cole told him as he walked over to Alex. She whispered to him, "There's a bold and naive reference in that name that I want to make, but its way too dirty." Cole looked confused, but when he understood, he began to laugh.

"Ok ok. But maybe this demonstration of my superhuman strength may persuade you." Dareth walked over to the boards, winking at Alex as he walked by. The Green Ninja rolled her eyes, while Cole merely glared softly at the self proclaimed Brown Ninja.

"Observe." Dareth concentrated on the wooden boards for a moment, mumbling about animals, before landing his hand on the block. Immediately, the Brown Ninja began to scream in agony, holding his hurt hand as the ninja laughed at his display.

Little did they know of the troubles brewing outside...

**Dareth, man. He went from annoying to slightly funny over time. That's why I kind of like writing him into this part of the story.**

**Anyway, thank you guys for reading this story, be sure to follow, fav, or comment on anything you like or want, and I will see you guys next time!**


	18. Chapter 18

Ch 17

The training had been going on great. Alex felt happy to finally delve into her powers and work with her newfound friends. And after all of that, the group had been laughing and smiling, ready to spend the rest of the day to themselves.

Until they saw the pirates. Causing terror throughout the city. In their ship.

"Pirates? Haven't they been gone for centuries?" Alex inquired. Zane looked up, "I sense Lord Garmadon is somehow behind this."

"How are we going to follow them?" Lloyd butted in. Kai smiled and held up a token, "Perhaps this can be of some use."

Sure enough, the bus had luckily stopped in front of the dojo to pick up the team as they followed the pirates and _Bounty_. As the group stepped on, Alex pulled on her hood, and Lloyd pulled on a black makeshift hood Sensei had used before the ninjas had earned their new outfits.

"Ugh. I don't like the kid coming along. Plus Alex isn't that well trained for this," Kai stated. "Please please please!" Lloyd begged, while Alex merely sent a frustrated and pleading look to the others. Zane sighed, "First off, Lloyd, you're too young to be out here fighting. Second off, your powers are too great and uncontrollable Alex. It is best that you both stay out of this."

Before Alex could interject, the others also agreed. "Sorry you two," Cole looked back as the group leaped up top, "Maybe next time."

Alex went over to cover Lloyd's ears as she cursed at her situation. But that was soon cut off as she and Lloyd were thrown forward as the bus stopped for an old lady to cross the street. The two went to the window just as the woman's bag of groceries split open halfway across the street, and the ship got further away. _Karma's a bitch_ Alex thought as she imagined the guys' annoyance at this development, but she shrugged it off, especially since they needed to stop the pirates.

As the guys rushed off to follow the ship, Alex turned to Lloyd. "Cmon, there's only one way we're going to get in on the action. Now follow me, and do _exactly_ as I tell you, ok?"

Lloyd nodded, knowing better than to screw up this opportunity. Grabbing his hand, Alex ran back to the apartment. Hopefully, the dragon would be back by then, ready to go.

The Green Ninja had never felt so alive as she saddled herself and Lloyd into the dragon and took off towards the pirates and the_ Bounty_. The air whipped up in her face as she turned the dragon towards where she had last seen the marauders, and soon spotted them nearby. On closer examination, the pirates seemed to be sending someone off the plank, and (surprise surprise) that someone was Dareth the self proclaimed "Brown Ninja."

As she saw him fall off, Alex guided the dragon quickly towards Dareth, Lloyd letting out a wild whoop as they flew over and caught the "sensei."

The man himself was clearly shocked, but soon came out of the trance to yell out, "I called the dragon!" Alex rolled her eyes and laughed along with the Brown Ninja as they headed for stable ground.

From what the Green Ninja saw, the fight was getting pretty intense, as her four friends were pitted against the pirates. Surprisingly, they were doing quite well despite the odds, but nevertheless, Alex handed the reigns to Lloyd as she leaped down to grab a nearby rigging, the sensation making her cry out in exaltation, "Ninja-GO!"

The rope swung around one of the masts, sending Alex colliding into Zane and the pirate captain. Shaking it off, she stood up to face the one legged leader as he held up his scabbard. "Pirate-Go!" the captain proclaimed as he swung at Alex, but before she could intercept it, Kai came out of nowhere to deflect the blow. As he began to fight off the pirate, he spoke to her, "Alex! You're not supposed to be here!" He grabbed her and dragged her into a nearby barrel as he went off to fight more pirates.

"What the?! Hey!" Alex grunted as she lurched the barrel to her left, trying to escape. She ended up standing, but with the barrel stuck over her head, she could only run around with no idea who she was hitting. She heard a bump and a yell from Kai as she rolled around inside her wooden prison, so she could only hope that he wouldn't be too mad over what had happened. After all, he HAD been the one to put her there.

Currently, apologies would have to wait, as Alex used her hearing to dodge blows from the pirate captain's sword. "Come here you rotten little hag," he growled, finally breaking Alex's temper. "Ninja-GO!" Alex found herself going through the spinning motions as the barrel broke and an emerald green tornado appeared. Stopping herself, she looked down, pirates forgotten, "Oh. My. God! I just did Spinjitzu and HELD it! That's a new record!"

She failed to notice the captain butting her with the end of his scabbard, sending Alex reeling to the floor. She landed on a switch on the floor as she fell, but quickly recovered and joined her team to face off against the remaining pirates.

Angry at the marauder for his earlier insults, Alex held her hands together and formed a ball of green energy, using her power to help it grow as large as her own body. Despite the warnings her friends yelled, she shot off the sphere towards the pirate captain. As it collided against the _Bounty_, sparks of pure energy were set off across the ship, causing the mast behind the ninja to teeter and fall onto the opposing groups. Alex didn't even have time to yell as the mast came down with a crash on top of the ninja.

Groggily moving out from beneath, the group could do nothing as the pirates looked down on them, ready to finish the job. "You lose, pajama people," the captain spoke as he held out his scabbard, and his crew did likewise. "Now you're walking the plank."

Suddenly, a tremor shook across the city, halting the pirates from doing whatever they had planned for the ninja. What sounded like giant footsteps turned out to be everyone's favorite samurai, Nya. Jumping onto the ship, she grabbed the mast and lifted it off of her companions before using it to send the pirates reeling onto the deck. Once that had been taken care of, Nya planted the pole back into its place.

As she jumped out of her exosuit, Nya used a blade to slide down the sail, cutting it up, before landing in front of her friends, and on top of the captain.

"Who wins between pirates and ninja? It's samurai!" Jay exclaimed as Nya giggled, causing Jay to do his usual routine and sigh dreamily as he looked up at his girl.

Once orders had been taken into affair, the police had arrived ready to cart off the pirates to prison. "Good work team," the officer told the group.

"Don't forget to include this young lady right here." Alex felt Kai patting her on the back as he spoke. She looked back at her friend, happy to know that he finally accepted her help. "On that note, I promise to avoid you when I'm near any barrels," she replied, managing to get a chuckle out of the red ninja.

On a different note, the officer turned to Jay, pointing at the _Bounty_, "Is that your ship?"

Jay smiled, "It sure is!"

"Sorry! You snooze, you lose!" The ninja turned to see Lord Garmadon and the Serpentine looking down at the ninja as the ship began to start up.

"Dad!" Lloyd called out to his father.

"You're becoming strong, son, but you and your precious Green Ninja will never be strong enough to defeat me! Give up, before it's too late!" This comment seemed to bring Lloyd down, but as Alex walked over to give the boy a reassuring pat, he stood stronger, and moved closer to her and the ninja.

"Fine! Have it your way!" Garmadon yelled back, as he and his Serpentine took their ship and headed to the skies.

"Great! Lord Garmadon's back and now he's got our ship!" Jay huffed as they watched the ship disappear. Cole walked over to Alex and held her shoulder, "Well at least we have our Green Ninja." Alex smiled at this comment as she held onto Lloyd and looked off into the sunset.

"Whooo hya!" The moment was interrupted by a karate yell and the sound of impact as the group turned to find Dareth on the ground looking dazed.

"Aw c'mon guys. I 'dareth' you to forgive me." The group began to laugh at this pun as Lloyd helped up the Brown Ninja, who laughed along with the group, still looking slightly embarrassed.

**Good ending to one of the good episodes in a good season! I always found seasons 1 and 2 to be the most enjoyable, though with the newest season, I'm not sure how I feel about it. Don't get me started on season 3.**

**Anyway, thank you all for continuing to read this story. If you want to request any new subjects I could add as side stories or just to let you know my input, be sure to let me know. Otherwise, until next time, fellow Ninjagonites!**


	19. Chapter 19

Ch 18

The incident with the pirates had left Alex feeling pretty self confident about her Spinjitzu. She could now use it easily, rather than in short spurts like before, where she had had to concentrate hard. This new step, combined with her dragon riding skills and her acceptance with the team, made Alex more determined than ever to keep training and grow into her chosen role.

So once the sun had risen, Alex had immediately went downstairs from her permanent sleeping spot outside and scooted into the kitchen to make breakfast. By the time she had prepared most of the food, the ninja were only just waking up.

"Well, you seem busy this morning," Zane observed as he went into the kitchen to set the table, "Might I ask why?"

"I want to get a nice start today so I can begin my training." Alex flipped the last pancake and set it with the others. Zane looked a bit concerned, "But you have been working very hard as it is. Perhaps you should take a break?"

Alex immediately shook her head, "And let you guys have all the fun? No way! I'm going to learn to control my power and prove I can be of help to you guys."

Zane was about to speak, but the Green Ninja interrupted. "Remind me how many times you guys have cast me back and said I wasn't prepared, but in the end I saved your butts?" This silenced the white ninja, and brought a chuckle to a half asleep Kai. "Yea, you've got a point there," the fire ninja pointed out as he clumsily stepped around the others, who were also trying to wake up.

"Ouch! Hey watch it will you?"

After everyone was seated, Alex and Zane served out a nice breakfast of blueberry pancakes, with spinach and cheese omelets and sausages, and a nice glass of fresh orange juice. Even the chatty ninja of lightning stopped his conversation as he and the others dug into the delicious meal served before them.

"Wow, Alex, really outdid yourself on this," Nya complimented as she took a bite of her omelet. "Yea, but why so early? We usually don't have breakfast for another hour at least," Jay pointed out. Alex looked to him, "I just want to get a headstart on my training for the day. So if you'll excuse me," the Green Ninja grabbed her empty plate and put it in the sink, "I'm going to go change. And I suggest you all do too." On that note, Alex went to the bathroom to freshen up.

"Uh. What was that? Have we really pushed her that far?" Jay spoke out loud, causing the others to slap him to get him to lower his voice.

"Sorry," he whispered, "But if she's really this obsessed with training, do you think it might be because she wants to make a point? I mean we did place her on the sidelines all those times."

"If that's the reason, then I can't blame her for being determined," Nya interjected, "I seem to recall all of you doing the same, _especially_ my brother the hot head over here." She jabbed Kai in the side.

"Ow! Ok I get it! We may be pushing her because of our denial of her abilities, but then what do we do? Give her a day off?"

"I believe that is exactly what she needs." Sensei walked into the room, smelling of tea and smoke. "Alex may think she must go over her own limits to prove she can handle her power, but in reality, I sense she is drained enough as it is." Cole looked down at the ground, remembering Alex's nightmare issue, "But how do we break it to her? If we refuse Alex any training, she'll bite our heads off."

"She can be a little short tempered," Zane agreed, "But perhaps we should let her train. At least, for a little while. Then maybe we can divert her away from her goals and show her how much we care for her, and that we _do_ believe in her abilities."

The others thought in silence for a minute. "Why not?" Kai stepped in, "That way, Alex gets what she wants and what's best for her."

As they agreed, they heard the bathroom door open, and ceased conversation as Alex entered the room, dressed in her green gi. "Well are we going or not? Because your plates seem empty to me." Alex's comment drove the ninja to get up and prepare for the training day, and what would follow.

Once the group had arrived at the dojo, Alex immediately began to warm up, doing all sorts of planks, pushups, and more.

"Jeez. I knew she was driven, but this is crazy!" Jay looked to the Green Ninja.

"Don't forget, she does come from a place where she needs to be prepared for anything," Kai pointed out, "She must have had to always be on the alert and had to practice a lot to keep in shape."

The four looked down as they remembered the day when Alex had retold her past. Any world as oppressive as that should have been maddening; what with the constant distrust and will to survive that drove a person to his breaking point.

But besides the point, the group began their training of Alex, starting off with working on her Spinjitzu.

"Ninja-Go!" An emerald green tornado appeared around Alex, and she managed to control it with ease, moving around the room carefully, until Dareth had to step in the way.

"AAH! Not again!" Dareth was spun onto the floor as Alex halted her tornado and regained her balance. "Oops. Sorry Dareth, but you should really be more careful when you're walking around us from now on." Alex walked over and helped the Brown Ninja up onto his feet. "Thanks, doll, but I could have easily held off a feeble twister like that one," the 'grand' sensei flexed as he struck a clunky karate pose.

Alex snorted, "Yea sure you could." She walked back to the others to begin a sparring session.

As she fought against Kai blade to blade, Alex felt as though she had the hang of her butterfly swords. She could now parry his blows with ease, as well as strike at her experienced teacher.

"Great job!" Kai remarked as he was disarmed by Alex, "You really are getting stronger every day." Alex nodded in gratitude, and handed the katana back to Kai. She turned to the others, "So what should I work on now?"

This caught the three ninja by surprise, since Alex had been going nonstop with her training. Perhaps now was the time to divert her from her crazed goals.

Cole walked over, "Actually, we're going to take a break from training right now. How about coming with one of us for lunch?"

Alex hesitated at the offer. How was she going to get anything done at this rate? But after grappling with her alternatives, she sighed softly and agreed.

This brought an inward sigh of relief from the four. No one had gotten hurt from this question.

"Ok then. How about we all change out and see what the plan is," Kai decided, and soon the group disbanded to change into clean clothes.

Alex quickly changed into a loose teal shirt with a pair of skinny jeans and white Converse high tops. As she glanced around the room, she noticed the others seemed to still be changing, which was surprising, since guys usually don't care as much for their appearance as girls (no sexism intended)

As she waited in the dojo, Dareth walked into the room, surprised to find the Green Ninja here. But at the same time, the self proclaimed Brown Ninja found this to be a possible chance to show off to the rookie, the kind, very attractive rookie.

"So Alex," Dareth walked over to the girl, "Have you ever considered receiving private lessons from me? After all I am a highly skilled master, with many trophies."

"Aren't they all fake though?" Dareth had to pause to let the hurt sink in, but regained his composure. "Well trophies do not make the man. In fact, I find that with only a simple nudge, you can tell a lot about a man like me," Dareth responded as he lifted his arm to wrap it around the Green Ninja.

"Hey! What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" Dareth squeaked as Cole yelled at him from the other side of the room. "Uhhh.. nothing, just admiring.. your girlfriend's.. hair..."

Cole looked grumpy, "She's not my girlfriend, but at the same time, I don't think she wants any guy wrapping his arm around her without permission."

Dareth turned to a dumbfounded Alex, who quickly narrowed her eyes and brought up her hand in a slapping motion. The Brown Ninja freaked out, running out of the room, yelling apologies back at the two ninja.

"Ugh. To think he'd even try to do something like that," Alex turned to Cole, "Thanks, but what was that all about...?"

"Later," Cole interrupted, "The others left before you came out; you're coming with me for lunch." He smiled as he opened the door for her, "After all, I did say that I'd get you to try cake."


	20. Chapter 20

Ch 19

The two were let off near the Ninjago City mall, and from the bus stop, Cole and Alex walked towards the cake shop. "So we're just going to eat cake for lunch? Sounds kind of fattening," Alex stated, looking to her friend. He smiled, "Course not. We'll eat a light lunch first, and then cake. There's a really good noodle shop across the street that I want to take you to. Sound good?"

Alex nodded as Cole led her across to the noodle place, which according to the sign was called 'Chen's Noodle House.' The two were soon seated, and began to pick out different selections of sushi, noodles, and other traditional foods.

"I can see why you like this place. The food is delicious," Alex commented as she took a bite of her noodles, "You must be some kind of food critic." Cole chuckled, "Maybe, but I think I prefer being a ninja."

"Do you feel like the same guy who started training with a bunch of strangers all that time ago?" Cole pondered for a bit, and then replied, "Definitely. I'm sure none of us would have even thought of being friends without Sensei Wu. Plus we'd all still be in denial about ourselves, unlike now." Alex nodded, "So you all were basically worse than you are today?" Cole rolled his eyes and smiled, "If you want to put it like that, then yes, we were so much worse, and would have been an even bigger plague on your life." Alex laughed and retorted, "I never said you guys were that annoying!"

"You implied it." Alex rolled her eyes and took a bite of her sushi, "So how bad were you all?"

Cole thought back, "Well Jay was way more annoying, Kai was more of a whiny hot head, Zane was kind of an outcast, and I was a little more grumpy and bossy."

Alex looked to him, "Don't doubt that."

The two ate the rest of their meal in silence, and when the time came to pay the bill, Cole immediately stopped Alex from pulling out her wallet. "No, I'm paying. Put the money away." Alex huffed, "You paid for bus fare and you're paying for cake; only fair that I pay for the meal." Cole shook his head, "Just sit down and let me pay."

Alex started to wrestle the bill away from Cole, but it proved to be tough, since the guy was a serious body builder. The two fought over who was paying to the point where everyone in the restaurant was staring at both ninja in awe and annoyance. Finally, the waiter interrupted the quarrel by stating that they should just both pay before he would have to ban them from the restaurant. Before Alex could whip out her wallet, Cole immediately set down his money with the bill, and like that, she had lost the fight.

"You could have just been less stubborn and let me pay," she told Cole as they exited the noodle house. "No way," Cole replied, "I'm taking you out, so it's my responsibility to pay for you." Alex wanted to object, but decided against it since it wouldn't be good to dwell on the quarrel when they were having such a good time.

As they walked into the mall, the two decided to walk off their lunch before the cake, and set off to go sightsee. Alex had never been in a mall before, so the many shops, kiosks, restaurants, and people were quite a surprise. The people ranged from small toddlers, holding their parent's hands as well as some kind of toy or candy, to old couples sitting by the indoor fountain, tossing in coins for wishes. There were young couples there as well; trying on clothing, heading to the movie theater, and merely sitting at a table holding hands, with the occasional kiss.

The emotions Alex saw on the people's faces in this mall were all different, and it only made her upset and full of longing. These men and women had lived every day with the freedom to choose what they wanted to do, alongside those that they loved and chose to be with. They were free of oppression from evil overlords, and found life to be joyous rather than a burden. The fact that these people would never know what she and those from her world faced everyday, and how different they truly were, drove Alex near to tears.

Cole seemed to notice the girl's mood change and quickly grabbed her hand, leading her over to a nearby bench by the fountain. As the two sat down, the black ninja looked to Alex in concern, "You ok? What's wrong?"

The green ninja looked down before taking a deep breath and replying, "It's just... Their lives are so happy and carefree. They have the right to choose what they want to do, and who they want to be with. In my home, we never even had that. It was always either work or die for as long as I've known." Alex sighed, "I don't know why I could never have this, or at least remember it."

Cole rubbed her back comfortingly. "I know it must have been tough on you and the others to go around like a slave. I don't think any of us could ever understand how it must have felt. But you can't take it out on anyone." Cole lifted her chin up to meet his face, "Believe me, you've gone through this for a reason, and maybe after you fulfill your destiny here, you could help those in your world as well. The time will come, but for now, enjoy what you have now, and look past your oppressions."

Alex sniffled,"Did you learn these wise teachings from Sensei?"

Cole shrugged, "Guess he rubs off on all of us. Now can I see a smile?"

The green ninja laughed and smiled at her friend, "Hope that's good enough for now."

He laughed, "Think that might do the trick. Now let's walk a bit more before we get cake."

As the two walked around the mall, talking and laughing about everyone they knew, Alex brought up a question, "Is this what people call... a date?"

Cole halted for a moment and looked at her, "Depends on your definition of date."

"Well from what I've seen, it's where two people of the opposite gender go out to do something fun with each other, and through that, they develop a stronger bond. Sometimes even a romantic bond." Cole smiled, "Seems like a legit definition."

Alex laughed, "Then what would be the opposite of a date?"

Cole thought for a moment, "The opposite is what Dareth was trying to do to you earlier."

Alex looked back at the awkward moment, "Oh yea. That was really creepy. Trust me when I have the time, I will slap him from that. But I think you were ready to do that no matter what." Cole looked to her, "What do you mean?"

Alex gave him a look, "You were screaming at him and looked ready to launch him into the next century."

Cole grew a bit red, "Well... he was coming on to you... and well... what kind of guy would I be if I let him touch you without your permission?"

The green ninja did not know what was going on with him, but shrugged and changed the subject. "So should we grab some cake before heading home?"

Cole nodded the red fading quickly as he led Alex back to the cake shop near the entrance of the mall.

As they walked in, Cole immediately walked up to the counter to order some of the dessert, while Alex just chuckled and sat down at a booth in the corner by a window.

She looked back on the events of today, feeling sort of thankful for the day off from training. Having a day with Cole was fun; he seemed to understand how she felt, and even managed to cheer her up. Being with him felt... right.

What confused her, however, was his attitude towards her and the episode with Dareth. He had been immensely angry with the brown ninja for trying to get close to her, and when she had mentioned it... he seemed embarrassed. Alex didn't know a lot about love but... did he... feel that way?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Cole walked over, carrying a small delicious looking cake in each hand. "Here. I got two for us to share. This one's chocolate and the other is strawberry cheesecake."

Alex smiled and thanked Cole as she took a bite of the strawberry cake. Her mouth was immediately filled with a sweet fruity taste, combined with a whipped, milky cream. As she decided to try the other, she was brought into a new sensation of creamy cocoa and fluffy spongy cake. Each one was better with each bite, and soon Alex could see why Cole enjoyed the dessert so much.

"Good isn't it?" Cole commented as he took a bite of the chocolate cake. Alex nodded, "It's really good. Sure it's not something I'd eat every day, but it's delicious."

Cole smiled, "I'd eat it every day. I love cake!"

Alex laughed, "I'm surprised you don't get fat."

Cole chuckled, "It's cuz I work out so much. I mean look at me. Not one inch of flab."

Alex pondered for a minute before reaching over to Cole's stomach and pinching it.

"Ow! What was that for?" Alex giggled, "Just trying to find the existent flab."

Cole shook his head and laughed along with Alex as the two began a pinching war to find each other's flab. The fight went on for a bit before the clerk had to come over and ask if they were done with the cake.

"Yea," Cole said, out of breath, "Just make sure to give me the bill when she's not looking."

"Hey!" Alex pinched Cole in the stomach again, laughing at his reaction.

After taking a while to calm down, Cole paid the bill and the two headed for the bus stop.

"Thanks again for the whole day out. I had a lot of fun." The black ninja smiled, "Anytime. It's good to see you happy like this."

The green ninja smiled back and sat beside Cole at the bench, waiting for the bus.

"Hey, I think you have some chocolate on your face," he pointed out after a bit of silence. Alex immediately put her hands to her face, trying to find the smear.

"No need. I'll help you." Cole reached his hand to her face as he wiped away the chocolate, only noticing afterwards how close his face was to the green ninja's.

The two looked at each other awkwardly, a clear blush appearing on both of their faces. Alex didn't know what to do: would it be right to push him away? Or kiss him? Ugh, relationships are so confusing.

Cole was having the same issue: he knew he had feelings, but were they friendly or something more? He had always admired the green ninja's determination, and felt like he needed to be there to guide her, but would she even accept him? Would it damage anything if he did kiss those soft lips?

As if on instinct, the two ninja's faces were inching closer to one another, to the point where they were almost touching.

"Umm.." That was all Alex could say at the moment, and she cursed herself for it.

Cole seemed to take this as a no, and began to pull back. Alex cursed herself even more, and quickly grabbed the black ninja's hand to hold him back.

Cole seemed even more embarrassed as she held him, and felt even more confused.

After what seemed a lifetime, Cole finally (finally!) leaned in, catching Alex's lips in a small kiss. The girl's face immediately turned a bright red, as she wasn't sure what to do, but soon found the kiss comforting, and kissed back.

Cole was about to wrap his arms around Alex when they heard the familiar sound of the oncoming bus. Quickly, the two pulled away and straightened themselves as the bus screeched to a stop, and they both entered and sat down.

Alex didn't know what to think. She had just kissed Cole! Or had he kissed her? Forget it; she had definitely kissed him in the end. The girl found herself blushing as Cole sat down next to her and the bus lurched off.

Did he have any regrets? Did he... actually care? Alex felt confused, and as she glanced quickly at Cole, she saw her confusion mirrored in his face.

"Well... that was..." Alex stumbled on the words she wanted to say.

"Yea..." Cole hesitated for a moment, before wrapping his arm around the green ninja.

She blushed even more, but soon found herself snuggling into the black ninja's embrace, feeling a bit better in his arms.

"So what now?" she asked Cole.

There was silence for a minute before Cole replied, "Well, do you think you want to try to be more than friends?"

Alex blushed a bit more, but realized that this is what she wanted. She felt safe with Cole, and he seemed to know her and understand her best, acting as a sturdy hold on her stubborn personality.

So as the two exited the bus at their apartment, Alex stopped Cole and gave him a small kiss. "Yes."

**Romance. Never my forte, but I think that played out well. Anyway, back to the episode list; next is "Double Trouble"**

**Thank you all for reading this story. Can't believe 800 people from around the world have read this story **** Thank you guys so much!**

**Until next time!**


	21. Chapter 21

Ch 20

The events of yesterday were still planted in Alex's mind as she focused her energy onto a small light bulb in her hands. After she and Cole had entered, the others had been glad to see their friend happy, and apologized for keeping her left out. There had been no questions about what had occurred, and none of the others knew about their new relationship, so after their friends had retired to bed, the new couple had chosen to relax outside and bond.

"So have you ever been in a relationship before me?" Alex inquired as she laid her head on Cole's lap. Her boyfriend had stroked her hair and looked down, "Nope. You're my first girl. And hopefully my last." She had smiled at Cole and leaned up to kiss him. "Aren't you a smooth talker?"

Cole had smiled back, "Only to you."

Alex couldn't help but smile again at last night, but quickly had to come back to the present as the light had begun to flicker.

"Focus Alex," Jay instructed, "Control the power inside you. When you feel a surge swelling up, harness it."

"Got it," the green ninja looked back to the light bulb, "I must be in control."

As she deepened her concentration, the light grew brighter and brighter, to the point where a stable connection had finally built up in the bulb.

"All right!" Alex cheered, "Only took a few light bulbs, too."

"Uh, how about a few dozen?" Kai inquired, laughing at Alex's excitement.

The green ninja rolled her eyes, "Shut up and let me enjoy this Kai. I'll clean up in a bit."

Cole smiled and walked over with a broom, "How about now?"

As Alex looked to her boyfriend, the light bulb suddenly exploded in her hands. "What the? Oh never mind, just give me the broom." Cole laughed at his girlfriend's current loss of euphoria, and smiled reassuringly at her as she began to sweep up the glass.

At that moment, Nya entered the room, wearing an interesting new red dress. "Hey guys!" She called out, and then looked to a certain blue ninja, "Hey Jay!"

Looking dumbstruck as ever, Jay walked over to talk to his girl, while Alex finished her sweeping. Once she threw everything away, she walked back to find Sensei Wu looking at a letter. "What is that, Sensei?" Alex asked.

"It's from Lloyd's old school," Sensei replied as the others walked over to see what was going on.

"The school for bad boys?" Cole inquired.

"Formerly bad boys, but since the last time we were there they've changed to the Darkly's School for Great Children. It says here that there is going to be a ceremony."

"I love ceremonies!" Cole exclaimed, "That means there's gonna be cake!"

Alex rolled her eyes at the black ninja's obsession with the treat and laughed.

Sensei continued, "They say Lloyd inspired them and they want to give him an honorary degree of excellence."

Lloyd had currently been ignoring the others at the time, and was busy beating up a punching bag and breaking a broom.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same Lloyd?" Kai interjected as the group watched the young boy dive into the punching bad head first, trying to act like a true fighter.

As the others dispersed to get ready, Alex walked over to explain the situation to the kid.

"Me? An award? But all I did was turn good!" Lloyd seemed confused. "Exactly," Alex said, "Your change to good inspired others at the school to do the same, you should be proud that you can be such a great influence."

Lloyd pushed his chest out proudly, "Well I _am_ descended from the first Spinjitzu master."

Alex laughed and walked over to the punching bags to fit in some last second training. As she jabbed her fists repeatedly into the bag, she felt someone tap her shoulder. Instinctively, she grabbed her dagger and whipped around, holding the blade to find a very scared looking Dareth.

The brown ninja squeaked, "I just wanted to apologize for yesterday."

Alex sighed as she lowered the blade and let the man down, but not before landing a stinging punch to Dareth's jaw, knocking him to the floor. "There," she replied as she walked away, "Now your apology is accepted."

Before they knew it, the ninja and Lloyd had taken to the skies, with Alex once again behind the reigns of her dragon. She whooped along with the others as the dragon smoothly navigated along the mountains, relieved to feel the fresh air from above.

"Now that we can ride the dragon, we should get to Darkly's in no time," Jay commented as the ride began to even out.

"That's if Alex here can get us there in one piece," Kai interjected.

Cole stepped in to defend his girlfriend, "She'll be fine, as long as she doesn't make any sudden movements..." The black ninja was interrupted as Alex turned to him, yanking the reigns with her, "Any sudden what?"

The dragon immediately plummeted down, carrying the group of screaming ninja with him. Alex immediately saw what the issue was and let go of the reigns, steadying the Ultra Dragon's flight until it landed down below at their destination.

"Well that was fun," Alex commented as she and the others stepped off the dragon, "At least I knew what to do."

"Yea, but all the same, I think I should take the reigns on the way back. Just to be safe," Cole replied.

"Why?" Lloyd inquired, "That was awesome!"

As they walked up to the school, the group was greeted by a young boy by the name of Brad, who seemed happy to see Lloyd, despite the latter's story of the former putting fire ants in his bed.

"You must be the ninja! So nice to meet you! Go good!" Brad excitedly shook everyone's hand, although the boy did slightly hesitate to shake Alex's hand.

_The cootie stage of life,_ Alex thought as she and the others walked into the school.

Soon they arrived at the principal's office, where Brad quickly left them to talk to the principal.

"Ok. Has anyone seen a teacher since we got here?" Jay asked the others as they looked around the waiting room.

"Indeed," Zane stated, "Their absence is most unusual."

"I will see you now. Come in," the principal stated as the door to the office opened and the others stepped inside, an ominous feeling of unrest filling their thoughts.

However, the ninja soon found themselves in quite a predicament as a nasally sounding boy called Gene and his group of boys knocked out the group with sand bags.

Surrounded by blackness, Alex soon woke up to find Cole standing over her, looking a bit worried. "You ok?"

The green ninja nodded as her boyfriend helped her up. As she looked around, she found the rest of the group, sans Lloyd, as well as the teachers of Darkly's.

The teachers were currently explaining the situation to the other three as Cole and Alex walked over, talking about how the boys had overthrown them for teaching them the ways of good.

"This was a trick the boys planned to lure Lloyd here and convince him to be their leader," one man explained to the ninja.

Alex was a bit shocked, yet unsurprised, since something about the school had seemed off since they had arrived.

However, Cole was freaking out about another situation entirely. "Wait! So that means... there's not gonna be CAKE!?"

**Lloyd is in trouble, the ninja doppelgangers are on the way, and of course Cole is freaking out about cake of all things.**

**To the guest Darkrainbow: Thank you for reading my story. I'd love to include your OC, but you may have to wait, since I now need to place her at the right moment in the story line. Also, I understand you are not a fan of ColexAlex, but if you have read earlier chapters, you would know I left it up to the community to decide who Alex should be paired with, and Cole was the favorite out of the few who voted**

**To everyone else: Thank you all so much for reading! I will be posting the next chapter possibly tomorrow, but I will also be planning to write other stories based on other categories, so look out for that if you're interested**

**Until next time!**


	22. Chapter 22

Ch 21

Alex sighed at Cole's freak out over cake withdrawal. "Come on, we're not going to accomplish anything if we stand around here and let these kids win." She walked over to a box of supplies and pulled out a meter stick. "I for one am not going to sit down and lose it over cake."

The green ninja stuck one end of the stick by the door lock, and once it was in place, she began to push with all her might, hoping to bust the lock and save her friend.

Before she knew it, the other ninja lined up next to her and began to push on the meter stick. Their combined strength seemed to work for the first part, but soon the stick broke in two.

Kai sighed, "Alex is right. If we don't get out of here, those kids are going to brainwash Lloyd and undo everything we taught him."

"Not to mention we might never taste cake again!" Cole added.

Alex lost her patience right then, "This isn't about cake! Our friend is in danger right now! I'm sorry for being harsh, but you need to stop whining about a dessert you just ate yesterday right now!"

After a moment of silence, Cole lowered his head, "I know you're right. I'm sorry for being a pain in your side." He walked over to his girlfriend and held her hand, "So what do you say we get out of here?"

She smiled and squeezed his hand, "Sounds like a plan."

Zane walked over to the principal. "How well do you and the teachers know this building?"

The principal sighed, "We barely know it at all, actually. We're new. The old teachers were highly committed to teaching evil and quit in protest when the school went good."

Zane pondered for a moment, "So if the school building was originally built for evil, don't we have to assume there are hidden passages which none of you would even know about?"

"Hey, you're right," Cole pointed out, "It wouldn't be an evil school without hidden passages."

Kai stepped up, "Ok everyone; look for a hidden switch! It could be anything: a book, a tile, a fixture!"

The group of ninja and teachers soon dispersed around the office to look for a secret passageway. Some pulled out books from shelves; others looked under rugs and behind pictures, but so far, nothing hidden.

Suddenly a loud clinking echoed across the room from a bookshelf. "Found it!" Jay called out triumphantly. However, this proved to be the wrong switch, as when Alex looked up, the ceiling seemed to be coming closer towards them. "Wrong switch! Hurry up, we need to keep looking!"

Cole soon found a switch, but it turned out to make the situation direr as spikes were now emitting from the falling ceiling.

"Oh that is just so evil!" Cole remarked.

"This way!" Zane called out from where he had moved a lamp, pointing to an opening in the wall across from him. Quickly, he and Kai took the lead, while Alex, Jay and Cole herded the teachers in before plunging into the secret tunnel.

As they ran further in, Jay started giggling, "Hey stop tickling me!"

"I'm not tickling you, Jay," Alex responded, before feeling a crawling sensation on her arm, "Cole this isn't the time, stop touching me like that."

"But I'm not touching you," the black ninja replied from in front of her.

"Zane, can you give us some light?" Kai inquired.

Soon Alex could see the ice ninja, whose body was glowing in a bright fluorescent light. The light was enough to see what was up ahead, as well as the spiders rushing onto the group from every direction.

As the ninja were freaking out, Alex merely sighed and looked at the arachnids. Spiders had never been a fear of hers; she had always had more to be afraid of in her own world than in some puny creatures. So as the others tried to flick the spiders away, the green ninja just looked down at her hands, concentrating on what element she wanted to appear and control.

Before the guys knew it, the spiders were scurrying away, as Alex calmly walked after them, scaring the creatures with the flames emitting from her hands. On occasion, she would shoot out small streams of fire towards the arachnids, causing them to flee quickly from the rest of the group.

Once the chaos had ended, Alex turned back to her team to find their faces in shock. Confused at first, the green ninja looked down at the nonextinguised fire in her hands.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" She quickly tried to put the flames out, and soon managed to successfully put it out.

"Well look at you, chosen one. Looks like you've managed to harness some fire power." Kai looked impressed.

Jay laughed a bit, "Looks like we should just leave you to your own devices next time. That way we guys can have some free time."

Alex merely chuckled a bit as she and the others navigated their way down the passageway, trying to find an exit.

Once they had reached their destination, the group felt relieved to step out into the hallway. "Finally a way out," Cole remarked as they all stepped out into the hall, only to find a more interesting situation in front of them.

Walking towards the ninja, carrying a scared looking Brad, were... the ninja? Alex looked back and forth between her friends and their copies, who were wearing aviators over their eyes. _How much you wanna bet this was Garmadon's fault?_ Alex thought to herself as the ninja stiffened next to her.

"Guys, why are we staring at ourselves?" Kai was very confused.

"Well this is getting too weird for us, so we're going to stay in here," the principal said as he shut the door to the secret passage.

"Huh, those who don't fight teach," Jay thought aloud.

The look-alikes pulled off their sunglasses to reveal glowing red eyes.

"Put down the boy... uh... me!" Cole tried to act serious, but it was obvious that he too was weirded out.

"He's of no use to us anymore," the doppelganger replied as he dropped Brad from his grip.

"Who are you guys?" Kai inquired.

"Your doom," 'Kai' replied.

"My early assessment tells me this must be Garmadon's doing," Zane thought.

"My early assessment tells me you will be destroyed," 'Zane' retorted.

"Will you all just shut up and fight already?" Alex rolled her eyes, annoyed, "This is the already Garmadon's stupidest idea ever, so why are we making everything worse by confusing each other by how closely alike we all are? Either way, I'm going to kick someone's ass today."

This was enough to instigate the oncoming fight, as both sides rushed each other.

Alex tried to rush in, but it seemed she had no true opportunity, as the opposites were already locked in deep combat. Sighing, she turned to notice Lloyd and the other boys behind her.

"Lloyd!" she called out as the boy ran over to her and embraced her.

"I'm glad you're ok," Lloyd replied, happy to see his friend.

"Yea, well unless we do something about these doppelgangers, we won't be having a fun reunion," Alex stated as they watched their friends fight their opposites.

"We have to help them," Lloyd turned to Gene and the other boys.

Gene chuckled, "Just to be clear, which them?"

"My friends of course!" Lloyd's reply seemed to not be enough as the boys began to surround them.

"Ninja-GO!" Alex's tornado swept the group of Darkly kids away from her friend, and once they were floored, she looked to the boys in disdain. "What is wrong with you kids? First you kidnap a boy to turn him evil, then you lock him away from his friends, and now you plan on taking him again? Well that's not happening on my watch."

The boys looked a bit scared at Alex's angered face, and slowly backed away.

"Look, if we don't stop those evil ninja, think on what they'll do to you! Brad over there just got beaten to a pulp because of those guys! Do you really believe they'll let you even live?"

Gene crossed his arms, "Maybe you have a point, but what makes you think we want to join you?"

Lloyd walked over, "Because you all have a good side hidden away. I've seen it before, and that doesn't mean it's gone forever. You're all just too afraid to admit it, but I'm not."

Lloyd's wise words seemed to have some impact on the boys, but just in case, Alex decided to close off with a warning. "And if you don't help the good ninja, I will give you guys cooties."

This sealed the deal as the boys quickly set to work, all the while avoiding Alex and her 'cooties.'

Setting to work, the group began to create their ninja costumes, which would confuse the doppelgangers, and allow the ninja to deal the final blow.

Once they were ready, the group lined up, prepared to 'fight,' and soon collided with the ninja and their opposites.

The situation was confusing for both sides, but luckily the kids knew where to aim, as they piled onto the evil ninja.

Alex joined into the fight as well, using her Spinjitzu to separate the gangers from her friends to make distinguishing their targets easier.

Zane was the first to find and defeat his opposite, using his icy tornado to scoop up the evil clone and knock him into the wall, where he dissipated into black smoke.

Jay was up next, angered by the fact that his clone mentioned kissing Nya, using it to fuel his energy to land a final kick to his opponent. "Nobody kisses my girl!" the blue ninja declared as the clone evaporated.

Alex was locked in battle with 'Cole,' desperately trying to distract the clone with her tornado while Cole regained his bearings. "Not today," the evil ninja growled as grabbed a piece of plywood and knocked against Alex's twister, sending her spiraling to the floor.

Quickly trying to grab her dagger, she was halted by a strong grip on her arm, as she was lifted off the ground to face glowing red eyes. "Think you can stop me?" the clone asked mockingly as his free hand found Alex's throat, "You have no idea, you little bitch."

"Put her down now!" Alex looked out of the corner of her eye to see her _real_ boyfriend standing there at the ready.

The doppelganger pulled her closer and glared at Cole. "One step closer, and I _will_ kill her. Such a shame, too. She really is quite stunning." Alex felt 'Cole' rub his free hand across her face, and she snapped. She headbutted the copy in the face, to which he replied by throwing her to the floor, allowing the real Cole to finally step in and finish off his opposite.

Alex began to shakily stand, grasping her stinging throat, but was halted as she felt a familiar presence grab her. "Here, let me help you up." Cole slowly brought his girlfriend up into his arms, where he was able to get a closer look at what possible damage the clone might have caused.

"It looks slightly bruised, but I think you'll be ok. If that monster had done anything else to you, though..." Cole looked away darkly.

"But he didn't, and everything is fine," Alex brought his face back to hers, and planted a small kiss on his cheek. The black ninja smiled a bit and hugged his girlfriend in a tight hug.

The two were unaware that the fight had just ended, and that the ninja and the Darkly boys were all staring at the couple.

"So... they ARE dating," Jay smiled a bit, "You owe me a twenty Kai!" 

"Yea, yea," the fire ninja rolled his eyes and brought out his wallet.

"Ew, doesn't he realize he's going to get cooties?" Gene commented.

"So what?" Lloyd replied, "I think it's fine. Still disgusting, but fine."

Once everything had been set in order, and Cole had finally received his cake, the group began to head back to Ninjago City. With the tank back in order, Kai, Zane, Jay and Lloyd rode in there, while Alex and Cole took the dragon. The green ninja smiled as she held the reigns and watched her boyfriend dive in happily into his cake.

As the sun set on th city, Alex looked back on what had just occurred. They may have defeated the clones, but tomorrow would bring a new day. However, no matter what happened, Alex and her friends would be ready.

**Next up: Ninjaball! One of my favorite episodes in season 2 **

**Thank you all for reading! Be sure to pay up your bets and avoid cooties!**

**Until next time!**


	23. Chapter 23

Ch 22

After a hectic and confusing day full of cake, clones, and cooties, the group had been relieved to get back to their own lives training Alex for her destiny. Nya had been notified about the clone that had kissed her, and had sealed an apology with Jay with a kiss; one that the blue ninja was all too happy to receive. At the same time, it was now well known amongst the team that Alex and Cole was a couple, and among the bets and laughs about shipping names, the group had fully accepted this news, taking a huge weight off of the two. At least now their love did not have to be secretive, since most of their time was spent in the dark or away from the others.

With a new day dawning, Alex was currently at work with her strength, carrying Sensei Wu and the four ninja while balancing with one hand.

"Focus," her teacher spoke, "In order to bear the fate of Ninjago on your shoulders, you must first learn to bear the weight of all of us."

"Easier... said... then done," the green ninja huffed as she focused on holding up her friends.

"Uh Sensei? I'm starting to think this wasn't such a good idea," Jay pointed out as he began to wobble.

"Yea," Cole added, "I mean I know she can take some things, but can she really take our weight right now?"

"In order for Alex to succeed, we must all trust one another," Sensei stated wisely as the tower of ninja tried to balance out.

However, as Alex managed to add more strength to her balance, a crash sounded from the window as a heavy object knocked the tower over, sending the ninja flying to the floor.

"Ugh, what was that?" Cole groaned as he quickly got up to help his girlfriend to her feet.

"A wrecking ball?" Alex looked to the heavy sphere that had blown a hole in the dojo. (no, no one in this story is going to ride it or lick it)

The construction workers' expressions mirrored the ninjas as they turned to hear the swishing of beads.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Dareth ran out, "This wasn't supposed to happen until tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" one of the workers looked at a form, "Oh yea, my bad. Sorry about that; we'll be back tomorrow morning." On that note, the workers pulled out with their equipment.

Dareth looked down as he picked up one of his trophies, looking dejected and very upset.

"Dareth, what is this all about?" Cole stepped in to ask what was on everyone's mind.

"Well I fell behind on some payments, and some developer named Darnagom Enterprise is buying up the whole block to put in some stupid Frisbee-golf course," the brown ninja explained, "They say if I don't come up with $50,000 by tomorrow, the dojo's gone."

"What? This can't happen," Jay interjected, "We already lost the _Bounty_, we can't lose the dojo too."

As Dareth cried over his fake trophies, Zane put up an interesting point. "Darnagom? When you rearrange the letters, it spells..."

"O Grandma?" Jay asked.

"Rad mango?" Alex guessed.

"No," Kai stated, "Garmadon."

Jay and Alex looked to each other rubbing their heads. "Yea... that was my next guess," the green ninja added.

"My dad is behind this?" Lloyd walked over from the other room, looking confused.

"If he destroys the dojo, where will we train Alex?" Cole looked to Sensei Wu.

"Any chance you have $50,000 in your teapot?" Dareth was clearly desperate.

Sensei smiled, "Worry not Dareth. You are not in this alone. We're all with you."

"Did someone say $50,000?" The group turned to see a smiling Nya from the doorway.

Jay looked startled, "How? You didn't happen to win the lottery?"

"No," Nya replied, "But I've heard about Ninja Ball Run."

The group looked to the girl in confusion.

"It's the biggest road racing tournament in Ninjago, with a prize of 100 thousand big ones. And it's tomorrow."

Dareth stepped up. "I thank you little lady fighter, but you're talking about the most dangerous race known to man. Only the most serious of racers can stand a chance."

"Pshh please!" Alex interjected, "There's no way this world has anything dangerous compared to my home."

"Plus, didn't you add some upgrades to the Ultrasonic Raider?" Kai asked his sister, who nodded in reply. "Maybe we might stand a chance."

"Then I'm going to enter with my dragon!" Alex jumped in.

"I'm going too!" Lloyd chimed in.

Before anyone could argue, the green ninja stated, "He can come with me, and no one is going to stop him. He'll probably do something worse if he's refused."

Sensei Wu hesitated, but gave his consent. "As long as you obey what Alex tells you."

Lloyd nodded eagerly. "This is going to be awesome!"

"So it is agreed," Sensei addressed the group, "You will all enter this Ninja Ball Run to save the dojo."

Nya walked over to a sobbing Dareth. "Are you still crying?"

The brown ninja looked up with tears in his eyes. "Yes, but these are happy tears."

For the rest of the day, the team was busy prepping for the big race tomorrow. While Nya and the ninja worked on updating some parts of the Ultrasonic Raider, Alex was practicing with her dragon, with a little help from Lloyd.

The two had set up an obstacle course out in the badlands of Ninjago, where they would not freak out any civilians. They had quickly set up some basic hoops, but the many rock formations out to the far side of the area would also be a great means of preparation.

Lloyd stood at their starting point, timer in hand. "Ready? Set? GO!"

Alex whipped the reigns upward as the Ultra Dragon took off into the air. As the flight began, Alex started focusing on her goal. _You can do this_, she thought, _for the dojo!_

One by one, the green ninja and her dragon passed through each of the hoops with ease. The real challenge, however, was with the rocks. There were a few narrow misses, but luckily, Alex managed to glide the dragon through them successfully.

When she returned to her starting point, Lloyd ran over to greet her. "Awesome job! All of that in under 5 minutes!" Alex smiled at the boy's enthusiasm, "Just wait until you're going to be riding with me tomorrow. You'll be able to experience some of that action."

Lloyd laughed, "So is it my turn?"

Alex shook her head. "No way am I going to let you out of my sight, young man. Sensei will kill both of us, and don't get me started on your father."

The mention of his father seemed to bring the kid down.

Alex immediately regretted what she said. "Lloyd, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so dumb. I know it must be hard to know what will be happening."

Lloyd looked up, "I know that it's not your fault that this happened, and my dad does deserve punishment for hurting so many people, but is it wrong to hope for another way?"

Alex sighed; why did prophecies have to be so foreboding? "Believe me, I wish there was another way, but we don't know what will happen during the final battle. It may seem bad to get your hopes up, but I feel as though I could never put you through that pain of losing family. And in that case, I do understand."

Lloyd sniffled and smiled. "Thanks Alex. I'm glad you're here with us. You're a great friend." He quickly hugged his friend, who gladly returned the loving embrace.

"Since you don't have family, do you want to be part of mine? You can be like my sister." The comment nearly made Alex cry; the fact that the young boy whose father she would have to defeat was asking for her to be his sister was almost too much. He cared so much for her to the point where knowing she had no family seemed unfair. Alex had never felt so happy and so relieved that despite destiny, she would always be Lloyd's sister.

"You don't even have to ask, kid. You and the others shall always be a part of my family."

**Yea so this came up later, partly due to a lot of hw and banquets, but also for another reason; one that most writers on here know about, but that I will not mention for the sake of peace in this community**

**I just hope you all keep in mind that some people do like to enjoy reading fanfictions, so I hope the certain issues are dealt with, and this community can go back to a peaceful atmosphere; for the reader's sake**

**This comment will probably be deleted soon, but just so I hope you guys are watching, I will leave it up for now**

**Until next time**


	24. Chapter 24

Ch 23

Before they knew it, the day of the Ninja Ball race was upon the group as they prepared their modes of transportation for the big day. From what the team could see, the racers looked quite unthreatening so far, so it could mean a better chance for the ninja to win the prize and save the dojo.

Alex was currently saddling the dragon, preparing a saddle behind for Lloyd. As exciting as the idea of racing was, the green ninja still wondered over what dangers would be on the course. Surely nothing she couldn't handle, right?

"You look nervous, Alex. You ok?" She looked down to see Cole looking up at her questioningly. She smiled at her boyfriend, "Ha not really. Mostly for you guys and the little hitchhiker over here," she gestured to Lloyd, who had just climbed into his seat, excitement in his eyes.

As Cole walked away to prep with the others, Alex turned back to Lloyd. "You sure you're up for this, because you could always sit this round out. I'd hate for you to get hurt, little brother."

Lloyd shook her away. "No way am I going to miss out on this awesome opportunity! Trust me, I'll be fine." The green ninja smiled at the boy's enthusiasm; what she would have given to have had that innocence and wonder.

Looking past that, Alex scanned the competitors. There was the postman on the bicycle, who knows how he would win this, and a school bus full of the Darkly boys, looking as shady as ever. If she had to, Alex could use another cootie threat to halt the mischievous boys in their tracks.

Also driving up was a car made to look like a pirate ship, with some familiar pirate morons, as well as... a truck carrying a barbershop quartet? Alex walked away from her dragon for a second to look at the one member who looked disturbingly familiar.

"That's my dad," Cole said as he walked over to his girlfriend, "I told you about him. He's a performing artist."

"That's your dad?" Alex was surprised, "He looks jubilant for his age."

The black ninja laughed, "Yep. Nothing can stop him from what he likes." Cole smiled and waved to his father, the latter returning the gestures while giving a questioning gaze towards the couple. The ninja of earth chuckled as he held his lover's hand to confirm his dad's question.

"Maybe after the race, I can introduce you to him," Cole stated to Alex. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Sounds great. I'd love to meet him."

The moment was interrupted by a familiar junky looking car pulling up next to the truck. The green ninja could only assume that these people were Jay's parents, as the blue ninja let out a groan.

"Jay! Jay!" the lightning ninja's mother yelled over the crowd, waving to her son.

Jay moaned louder in annoyance as he turned back to the team. "Is there anyone we don't have to compete against!?"

It seemed he spoke too soon as a purple vortex appeared from out of the blue, letting out a skeletal vehicle driven by a gang of skeleton men.

"You had to jinx it," Alex pointed out as the group sighed.

The team's attention was diverted to the screen shortly as the MC explained the course to the competitors. Once the announcement came to a conclusion, Alex wished her friends good luck and headed back to the dragon, where an eager Lloyd was waiting for takeoff.

Lowering herself into the saddle, Alex took a deep breath as she clutched the reigns. Her friends were counting on her to help win the prize money so they could complete her training; she couldn't fail now.

As the first light appeared, the green ninja let her emotions go and focused on the task ahead. She left behind her fears, her anger, and the weight of her inevitable destiny as the light turned to green. Once it was time, she quickly flicked the reigns, and in no time, the dragon was off, carrying Alex and Lloyd on their way to victory.

Though steadying the beast was hard work, its flight was still on course, and with a sigh of relief, Alex calmed her firm grip on the ropes.

Looking down, Lloyd made the occasional remark at the drivers below. "Jeez, these guys are such cheaters. They're using every trick in the book!" There was a period of silence before Lloyd yelled out, "The ninja aren't here!"

His sudden outburst startled Alex as accidentally pulled the reigns out of impulse, sending the dragon in the wrong direction. "No no no! Not that way!" she quickly tried to pull the reigns back, but the damage was done as the creature was going the wrong way.

Sighing in exasperation, she turned to Lloyd. "Don't startle me like that, kid. What if I crashed the dragon because of that? You could have been killed!"

Lloyd looked down in guilt. "I'm sorry Alex. I didn't think I was going to cause us to go off course. I just wanted to tell you that I didn't see the team."

Alex sighed inwardly at herself. What good would come out of arguing now? "It's ok Lloyd. I know you didn't know what you were doing. I'm sorry for blaming you."

Lloyd looked up, looking a little bit more cheerful. "It's ok. Siblings always have fights, right?"

Alex almost teared up again. "Yep, that's what we do best."

The green ninja quickly pushed aside that issue and looked at the new problem. The ninja were possibly out of this race, which would mean that they would not win the prize money. She had gone off course by accident, but would that mean she was out? Or could she come back?

Taking the chance, Alex grabbed the reigns and steered the dragon back to the track. Lloyd looked confused, "But I thought we were out."

Alex shook her head, "Not now we aren't. Time to play by Ninja Ball rules: no rules at all."

It seemed they had come in the nick of time, as the two spotted their friends (who were luckily still in the race) trapped in the canyon by Garmadon, who was ready to fire one of the _Bounty's_ cannons.

"Does it always have to be my dad?" Lloyd sighed. Alex gave him a pat on the back, "Don't worry, I won't hurt him. We're just going to give him and the Serpentine a little surprise."

Aiming the dragon at a low angle, the green ninja zeroed in on the dark lord's ship. "Surprise mo fo!" she yelled as she rammed the back of the ship, sending the trajectory of the cannon close to the Ultra Sonic Raider, but missing it by a hair.

The two currently on the dragon cheered as they passed Garmadon's ship and steadied the beast above their friends. "Nice work you guys," Kai shouted up at the two as the two modes of transport sped along the course. Alex smiled triumphantly as she navigated the dragon closer to the ninja. "What do you say we work together on this?" she yelled at the boys. The group nodded their heads in unison as they cheered their usual catchphrase and sped onwards and forwards.

Heading into the snow, the two groups had to navigate steadily to avoid the dangerous obstacles. Luckily with the dragon, they could scout out a safer route, and before they all knew it, they were on their way to the lead.

However, the ones on the dragon forgot about the other racers and their cheating devices. Which is why when Alex felt a drag on the Ultra Dragon's flight, she looked down to find a grappling hook wrapped around its leg. Preparing for a rapid impact, Alex quickly grabbed Lloyd and used her Spinjitzu tornado to cushion part of the fall, landing them a few feet from the dragon.

As Alex made her way out of the snow drift, she turned to her companion. "Are you ok?"

Lloyd shakily stood up and moved his muscles around. "No damage, thanks to you."

The green ninja slightly smiled. "Well your safety is of my top concern right now, kid, so let's get this hook off of our friend here."

The two made their way across the chilly snow to the dragon, where they proceeded to remove the device from its ankle.

"So does this mean we're out?" Alex pondered Lloyd's question for a moment. "Afraid it does, but that doesn't mean we can't at least help our friends out. We still have Garmadon to worry about."

Lloyd nodded as they fully removed the grapple from the dragon, which proceeded to stretch out its body. Once it had, it looked to Alex for instructions.

The green ninja patted the dragon as she helped Lloyd back onto it. Once she had set herself in the saddle, Alex quickly whipped the reigns and took off in the direction of Ninjago City.

"Will we make it in time?" Lloyd asked as the group flew over the forest.

"I hope so, weather permitting," Alex replied.

Despite some obstacles in their way, the dragon managed to swiftly head towards the city, where in the distance, Alex could see some high tensions out in the badlands.

"Looks like it's just the ninja and Garmadon in this race," she stated as they landed on a nearby building, "Come on guys."

"You can do it!" Lloyd cried out.

The green ninja laughed at the boy's enthusiasm, and cheered with him. "GO NINJA GO!"

Despite some tense moments, including a moment where the ninja had to cross an abyss set up by Garmadon, the two competitors were headed for the finish line. Excited, Alex and Lloyd headed back onto the dragon to get a view of the finish.

From their view, the race had definitely ended in a photo finish, but by a slight miracle, the ninja had managed to win.

"All right!" Lloyd yelled as he and Alex tightly hugged each other in happiness.

After that exciting moment, the green ninja noticed Garmadon coming down from the ship. Seeing this as a possible opportunity, she looked to Lloyd and led the dragon down softly onto the _Bounty._

Garmadon was enraged, "That wasn't even a part of their vehicle! My ship...!"

"Your ship?" Lloyd questioned, causing the crowd to look up at the two and the dragon. "I believe this belongs to us."

"And if you don't like it," Alex added, "Please take it up with the complaint department of me, myself and dragon. We currently don't give a crap."

It seemed like a good ending for the ninja, but when Garmadon managed to avoid capture by tagging along with the Serpentine, speeding off until tomorrow, when he would most likely return.

But for now, the team was in complete joy over the win, especially an excited Dareth, who cannon balled into the trophy full of money.

"You realize what this means, right?" Jay was clearly in a state of pure happiness, "We have the _Bounty_ back!"

All the more reason for celebration over the win, as everyone exchanged hugs and high fives.

"You did great out there today, kid," Alex rubbed Lloyd on the head, "Think I'll have you be my permanent copilot."

Lloyd's eyes shined, "Really?! That'll be soo AWESOME!" The young boy whooped loudly.

Alex laughed at her little brother's joy, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she looked to see none other than Cole. Smiling she trapped her boyfriend in a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're ok," he responded once the two had pulled away.

"You were worried? If anything I should be more freaked out about you guys! You had way more death defying experiences!"

Cole laughed at his girlfriend's remark, and slowly brought her in for a long and sweet kiss.

**Well that was fun to finally catch up on!**

**Thank you all so much for your comments and feedback. You reading this make me feel really happy and accomplished as a new writer.**

**To Yuna53421: Thank you for reading the story and pointing that out. I looked back on Ch 10 to look for what you said. When I rewatched that specific episode, I did see Lloyd bring the weapons, but they happened to be in black cases. But I do understand that I should have specified. Sometimes I think I rush too much :P**

**So check out Yuna's stories, ImaginationOverdrive's stories, as well as the many new writers of this community's stories. I will do so myself, and I look forward to it **

**Until next time!**


	25. Chapter 25

Ch 24

With the dojo saved, no fatalities, and the _Bounty_ back with the ninja, all was happy in the minds of the heroes. They had gained widespread popularity for their win in the Ninja Ball run, so it was no surprise that Dareth's dojo received more popularity due to it being the place where the heroes of Ninjago trained.

Lucky that the team had left their dinky apartment for their old home, otherwise there would be a lot of unnecessary attention by paparazzi and fangirls.

Alex felt relieved to have her old room back, though it did take a while to remove the snake sheddings and... excrements. Seriously, weren't snakes toilet trained?

Back to their old surroundings, the ninja went back to their daily training of themselves, as well as Alex, the next day. It had mostly consisted of sparring to get the hang of her weapons, as well as a short workout, since everyone seemed as though they just wanted to rest after such a tense race.

After finishing her duel with Kai, the red ninja had lowered his weapon and called it quits for the day. "I think we all need a day off, especially after the thrills Garmadon gave us all yesterday.

Alex agreed; there were just too many parts of that race that had her heart racing, mostly when her friends were in danger. "So we'll catch up on training tomorrow then?"

Kai nodded, "I'm gonna go clean off, so make sure no one comes into the bathroom, ok? Those dumb snakes busted the lock while they were here."

Alex waved him off, distracted by something in her eye. When she had attended to that matter and found Kai gone, she merely shrugged it off and headed inside to find Cole. _Wonder what Kai wanted me to do?_

As she walked inside, Alex found Cole in the living room, talking on the phone. Once the black ninja noticed his girlfriend, he quickly muttered into the phone before hanging up and going up to her.

"So what was that about?" she asked as Cole gave her a hug and a small kiss on the forehead. "I'll tell you later. Right now, it's my turn to cook lunch, so I better get on with it."

Alex stiffened at her boyfriend's statement. "There's no need for that. I'm sure Zane wouldn't mind cooking while you hang out with me." Cole looked hesitant, but shook his head. "I promised Zane I'd cook lunch at least. He seemed a bit hesitant to let me near the kitchen, but he agreed."

Alex sighed, thinking of a way to possibly stop Cole from cooking. "Well how about I help you? We'd get the job done faster, and then you can tell me what you wanted to say."

The black ninja was ok with that, and on that note, the couple went into the kitchen to prepare a basic lunchtime delicacy: sandwiches.

"So what kind of sandwich do you think we should make?" Cole asked as he opened the fridge. Alex thought for a moment, "How about a BLT? I've been craving one for a while." The black ninja smiled, "Then it shall be done."

The gathering of ingredients took no time, and was luckily met with few accidents. Before they knew it, the couple was at work on the sandwich; Alex in charge of frying the bacon and toasting the bread, while Cole chopped up some lettuce and tomatoes.

All seemed to be going all right, until Alex was halted by her boyfriend's pained yell. "Ouch!"

Dropping what she was doing, Alex turned to Cole. "What happened? Are you ok?" Not noticing where her hand was, the green ninja ended up touching the burning stove. "Ow!"

The black ninja looked away from the cut on his finger to his girlfriend. "Alex, what is it?" But before he could move to her, the black ninja knocked into the cutting board jutted out in front of him, causing the irregularly chopped vegetables to fly onto the floor, and onto Alex.

"What the..? Get it off!" Alex twisted to reach a tomato on her head, but accidentally knocked the pan of bacon across the counter to the toaster. Cursing, the green ninja reached for the pan, but by grabbing the instrument, she unknowingly set off a spark of electricity to the toaster, causing the machine to short out. As the power began to struggle, the two wannabe chefs quickly took cover from causing any more accidents until the power came back on, but not before quickly unplugging the toaster

Taking time to recover, Alex slowly got up from her hunched position to inspect the damage. The remains of the sandwich ingredients lay scattered all over the floor, while the toaster was steaming on the counter nearby, still sparking a bit, but less.

"Alex, are you ok?" the green ninja turned to find Cole over by the fridge, slowly standing up. "Yea, I have a small burn, but it's nothing. What about you?"

He walked over. "It's just a small cut," the black ninja replied while tentatively picking up his girlfriend's hand to inspect the burn, "Come on; let's get this taken care of before we clean up."

Once their injuries had been taken care of, the couple went back into the kitchen to clean up the catastrophic mess. As they wiped up the mess, Cole spoke up. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not a big help in the kitchen, but I didn't believe I'd end up getting you hurt."

Alex looked over, "It's fine. We both did a lot of stupid things, but now we should just focus on getting this job done."

The black ninja sighed, "What kind of boyfriend am I if I'm just going to put you in harm's way?"

The green ninja quickly cleaned up the mess on the counter before turning to Cole, who was currently sweeping the floor of any messes. She lifted up his head to look at him before kissing him fully on the lips. "You are a great leader and boyfriend. Don't ever doubt that. The day I ever doubt you are is a day I don't want to even think about. So don't feel bad about this."

Alex's words seemed to console Cole, as he smiled and lifted his girlfriend to swing her around in a circle. "You are by far the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," he told her once he had put her down, catching her lips in a long kiss.

Alex blushed a bit, before breaking the kiss and smiling brightly. "Well come on then. We should get to work. We still have lunch to prepare."

They had only just finished cleaning when the two heard a yell down the hallway from Kai.

"Jay! GET OUT OF HERE!"

After leaving the team to enjoy some peanut butter sandwiches, the couple walked to Alex's room for some privacy.

As the two sat down on the bed, Alex looked to her boyfriend. "So now can you tell me about who you were talking to?"

Cole laughed a bit as he wrapped his arm around the green ninja. "Sure. That was my dad. He wanted to congratulate me on winning the race, as well as invite me over for dinner tonight. He invited you as well, since he definitely wants to meet the girl who would actually want to be with me."

Alex chuckled as she pecked the ninja of earth on the cheek. "I'd love to go. It would be nice to get to know your dad."

Her boyfriend grinned, "Great. He wants us there by seven, so we can start getting ready around six."

Once the black ninja had left to go do some weight training some time later, Alex decided to go talk to Nya. When she walked to the samurai's room, she found her sitting at her desk polishing her helmet, some technical bits strewn across the table.

"Hi Alex. What can I help you with?" Nya looked up and walked over to the green ninja.

"Hey Nya. I actually came to ask if you have any dresses I can borrow. You see I have this dinner date with Cole to meet his dad."

"Say no more," Nya replied, "I know just what to do." The samurai went to her closet to look for a good dress for her friend.

"Here we are!" she called out, holding a dress in her hand, "I know this will look great on you! So try it on."

Before she knew it, Alex was standing in front of a mirror admiring the radiant creature looking back at her. The dress was a pale pink strapless number, set with flower designs and a skirt that went down to a bit below mid thigh. Matching the dress was a cute pair of sandals and a jacket. To top it all of, Nya had even helped Alex with makeup, adding a little bit of brown eyeliner and a touch of mascara, while adding a shimmery gloss on her lips.

"Wow. Who ever would have thought I'd look this nice," the green ninja commented as she turned around to look at the dress. Nya nodded, "Well you always looked great, but this time, I enhanced it a bit."

Alex was a bit put off by the fact that her hair was put back with a headband. The scar on her face was now clearly showing, looking as marring as ever.

"Don't worry," Nya patted her on the back, "It's a part of you that people just have to accept. It doesn't change who you are."

When the time had arrived, Cole and Alex were soon dropped off at their destination: Cole's father's house.

"You look amazing right now," the ninja of earth pointed out as they walked to the door.

"Better than before?" Alex asked. Her boyfriend frowned, "You always look beautiful to me, only this time I can finally see some of your face." His small joke brought a smile to the green ninja's face, and she gratefully accepted Cole's hand as the two walked over to the door.

The doorbell had been pretty comical, but what was more comical was Cole's father's reaction to Alex.

As the night went on, Lou kept gushing over how her voice was amazing, how she could make a true singer, how she could finally bring Cole into doing something alongside being a ninja, etc.

Cole in the meantime looked a bit uncomfortable at the dinner. He was worried about how his dad was getting into subjects that Alex didn't like to even think about, especially having to do with the life she could have had. Yet despite his efforts to change the subject, his father was as stubborn as ever.

It seemed to be going well to the green ninja; Lou seemed to really like her. It was at dessert that the former dancer got into something a bit more personal.

"So then, Alexandra," Cole's father stated, "How do your parents feel about this ninja business?"

_Clang!_ Alex had dropped her fork once the question had been asked, and merely looked down as she tried to prevent the tears from coming out.

Cole immediately saw the telltale signs. "Dad, will you please stop? She's really uncomfortable about this."

Lou looked confused, "I was only asking about her family. Perhaps they at least wanted her to go a different path. After all, she has true potential."

The mention of a life she could have had was enough to send Alex over the edge. She couldn't hold back the tears as she thought of her misfortunes, and of her absent parents. Though she made no sound, her body was racked with silent sobs.

The black ninja finally interrupted. "Look dad, you don't know what she's been through! She has no parents, no home, and she had no possible future doing anything up until this point! In fact, she probably wouldn't have been alive at this point if we hadn't helped her!" Cole was angered and disappointed by his dad's curiosity, and he could see how Lou's reaction changed as he realized the consequence of his actions.

"Oh dear... oh dear lord I am so sorry," the older man walked away from his place to apologize to the still crying girl. "I had no idea that you'd been through all of that. I can't believe my behavior."

Alex sniffled a bit as she nodded her head. "It's ok. I just get a bit... upset when I'm reminded about my past."

Cole looked at his girlfriend and rubbed her back reassuringly. "It's ok. You're here now; in a better place."

After some time, Alex finally managed to collect herself and fully accept Lou's apology. To make it up to the girl, the older man pulled out some family tapes for the group to watch. The green ninja soon found herself laughing at a dancing video of a much younger Cole, watching him fall into a nearby swimming pool, while said dancer merely shook his head and smiled.

Once the dinner was done, the two wished Lou goodbye.

Giving the older man a hug, Alex smiled as she felt that all seemed to be healed with her and him.

As the two made their way back to the ship, Cole stopped his girlfriend to hug her tightly. "I'm sorry if my dad put you off at first."

She smiled, "It's ok. At least we got along in the end."

The black ninja smiled back, "Yea, over me and my fails."

After laughing it off, the two walked off to the ship, feeling as though the bonds between them had strengthened even more.


End file.
